Sunday, May 8, 2016

Progressive Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Edinson Volquez vs. Josh Tomlin

The Kansas City Royals visit Progressive Field on Sunday to play the Cleveland Indians. The probable starters are Edinson Volquez for the Royals and Josh Tomlin for the Indians. The opening line for this matchup has Kansas City at +124 and Cleveland at -134. The over/under was set at 8. The Royals have a 8-18-2 over/under record and a 13-15-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 46% of the time. The Indians are 12-14-0 against the run line and have a 13-11-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 46% of the time.

The Royals head into this matchup with a 14-14 record, including 5-9 on the road. Starting pitcher Edinson Volquez has a 3-2 record with an earned run average of 3.13 and a WHIP of 1.29. He has 32 strikeouts over his 37.1 innings pitched and he has given up 37 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.94. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 2.91 and they have given up 83 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .238 against the bullpen while being struck out 92 times and walking 35 times this season. As a team, Kansas City has allowed 8.26 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.3 batters per nine. They are 12th in the league in team earned run average at 3.84. The Royals pitchers have collectively given up 224 base hits and 104 earned runs. They have allowed 27 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 110 batters and struck out 225. They walk 4.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.37 and their FIP as a unit is 4.15.

As a team, Kansas City is batting .249, good for 13th in the league while putting together a .247 average away from home. The Royals hold a .368 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .301 which is good for 24th in baseball. They rank 13th in baseball with 8.32 hits per game. Eric Hosmer comes into this game hitting .321 and his on-base percentage is at .368. He has 34 hits this season along with 12 runs scored and 12 runs batted in. He's struck out 19 times and has walked 8 times. Alcides Escobar is hitting .261 and he has an on-base percentage of .294. He has totaled 31 hits so far while scoring 9 runs and he's driven in 8. He has walked 6 times and has struck out 19 times. The Royals have 233 hits, including 41 doubles and 21 home runs. They've stolen 22 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 7 times. Kansas City has walked 67 times this season and they've struck out 198 times as a unit. They've left 192 men on base and have a team OPS of .670. They score 3.25 runs per contest and have scored a total of 91 runs so far this year.

Cleveland comes into this matchup with a 7-5 home record and a 14-12 overall mark. With an earned run average of 3.13, Josh Tomlin has a 4-0 record and a 1.09 WHIP. He has 16 strikeouts over the 23 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 23 hits. He has allowed 9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.77. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.72 and they have given up 62 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .221 against the Indians bullpen while being struck out 68 times and walking 31 times this season. As a team, Cleveland has allowed 7.62 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.24 batters per nine. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 3.59. The Indians pitchers as a team have surrendered 196 base knocks and 92 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 28 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Cleveland as a staff has walked 69 hitters and struck out 211. They give up a walk 2.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.2 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.15 while their FIP as a staff is 3.82.

As a team, they are batting .255, good for 11th in the league while putting together a .267 average at home. The Indians hold a .401 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .318 which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 11th in baseball with 8.54 hits per contest. Jason Kipnis comes into this matchup batting .269 and he has an OBP of .313. He has 28 hits this year along with 17 runs scored and 13 RBI. He's struck out 32 times and has walked on 8 occasions. Francisco Lindor is hitting .317 and he has an OBP of .381. He has collected 32 hits so far while he's scored 18 runs and drove in 12. He has earned a walk 10 times and has punched out 20 times. The Indians as a unit have 222 base hits, including 48 doubles and 24 homers. They have 19 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 6 times. Cleveland as a team has walked 83 times this year and they have struck out 228 times. They've had 162 men left on base and have an OPS of .720. They score 4.58 runs per game and have totaled 119 runs so far this season.

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 8-18-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 13-15-0 against the run line so far this season

Cleveland Indians Betting Trends

The Cleveland Indians are 13-11-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Cleveland Indians are 12-14-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Kansas City Royals

05/07/16 3B Mike Moustakas Hand 15-day DL
04/10/16 P Mike Minor Shoulder 60-day DL (3/15)
04/04/16 P Tim Collins Elbow 60-day DL; out for season
03/31/16 P Jason Vargas Elbow 60-day DL (3/15)

Cleveland Indians

05/02/16 C Roberto Perez Thumb 15-day DL (5/2)
04/25/16 P Carlos Carrasco Hamstring 15-day DL (4/24)

Josh's Pick: Take the Indians

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