Thursday, June 2, 2016

Progressive Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Yordano Ventura vs. Carlos Carrasco

The Kansas City Royals head to Progressive Field on Thursday to take on the Cleveland Indians. The probable pitchers are Yordano Ventura for the Royals and Carlos Carrasco for the Indians. The opening line for this game has Kansas City at +152 and Cleveland at -162. The over/under is 7.5. The Royals have a 22-26-3 over/under mark and a 29-22-0 run line record, meaning they cover 57% of the time. The Indians are 22-28-0 against the run line and have a 28-18-4 over/under record. They cover the spread 44% of the time.

The Royals head into this game with a 29-22 record, and they are 11-15 on the road. Starting pitcher Yordano Ventura has a 4-3 record with an ERA of 5.17 and a WHIP of 1.53. He has 38 strikeouts during his 55.2 innings pitched and he has given up 52 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 8.4 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.51. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 2.43 and they have allowed 150 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .226 against the pen while they've been struck out 183 times and walked 60 times this year. As a unit, Kansas City has given up 8.54 base hits per nine innings while striking out 8.4 hitters per nine. They are 9th in the Majors in team earned run average at 3.83. The Royals pitchers have collectively given up 426 base hits and 191 earned runs. They have allowed 52 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 178 batters and struck out 419. They walk 3.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.35 and their FIP as a unit is 4.08.

As a team, Kansas City is hitting .272, good for 4th in the league while putting together a .272 average on the road. The Royals have a .409 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .322 which is good for 13th in the league. They rank 7th in baseball with 9.29 hits per contest. Eric Hosmer comes into this game hitting .330 and his on-base percentage is at .376. He has 65 hits this season along with 30 runs scored and 35 runs batted in. He's struck out 42 times and has walked 15 times. Alcides Escobar is hitting .267 and he has an on-base percentage of .297. He has totaled 59 hits so far while scoring 21 runs and he's driven in 14. He has walked 9 times and has struck out 32 times. The Royals have 474 hits, including 91 doubles and 44 home runs. They've stolen 38 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 10 times. Kansas City has walked 118 times this season and they've struck out 357 times as a unit. They've left 340 men on base and have a team OPS of .731. They score 4.12 runs per contest and have scored a total of 210 runs so far this year.

Cleveland comes into this game with a 12-12 home mark and a 26-24 overall record. With an ERA of 2.45, Carlos Carrasco has a 2-0 record and a 0.96 WHIP. He has 20 strikeouts over the 22 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 16 hits. He has allowed 6.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.35. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.63 and they have given up 134 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .228 against the Indians bullpen while being struck out 149 times and walking 64 times this season. As a team, Cleveland has allowed 8.23 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.33 batters per nine. They are 12th in the league in team earned run average at 3.97. The Indians pitchers as a team have surrendered 413 base knocks and 199 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 59 home runs this year and they give up 1.2 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Cleveland as a staff has walked 146 hitters and struck out 418. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.3 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.24 while their FIP as a staff is 4.00.

As a team, they are batting .255, good for 15th in the league while putting together a .283 average at home. The Indians hold a .412 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322 which is good for 12th in baseball. They rank 12th in baseball with 8.78 hits per contest. Jason Kipnis comes into this matchup batting .265 and he has an OBP of .312. He has 53 hits this year along with 27 runs scored and 28 RBI. He's struck out 49 times and has walked on 15 occasions. Francisco Lindor is hitting .306 and he has an OBP of .367. He has collected 60 hits so far while he's scored 33 runs and drove in 22. He has earned a walk 19 times and has punched out 30 times. The Indians as a unit have 439 base hits, including 88 doubles and 55 homers. They have 37 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 9 times. Cleveland as a team has walked 170 times this year and they have struck out 410 times. They've had 334 men left on base and have an OPS of .734. They score 4.76 runs per game and have totaled 238 runs so far this season.

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 22-26-3 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 29-22-0 against the run line so far this season

Cleveland Indians Betting Trends

The Cleveland Indians are 28-18-4 against the over/under so far this season

The Cleveland Indians are 22-28-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Kansas City Royals

06/01/16 CF Brett Eibner Ankle out indefinitely
05/29/16 C Salvador Perez Quad expected to miss 7-10 days
05/26/16 3B Mike Moustakas Knee 15-day DL (5/23); out for season
05/23/16 LF Alex Gordon Wrist 15-day DL (5/22)
05/12/16 P Kris Medlen Shoulder 15-day DL (5/11)
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

05/24/16 P Joba Chamberlain Side 15-day DL (5/22)
05/14/16 LF Michael Brantley Shoulder 15-day DL (5/10)
05/02/16 C Roberto Perez Thumb 60-day DL (5/2)
04/25/16 P Carlos Carrasco Hamstring 15-day DL (4/24), expected to be activated & start Thursday vs. Kansas City Royals

Josh's Pick: Take the Indians

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Josh Schonwald