Friday, July 15, 2016

Comerica Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Ian Kennedy vs. Justin Verlander

The Kansas City Royals head to Comerica Park on Friday to take on the Detroit Tigers. The probable pitchers are Ian Kennedy for the Royals and Justin Verlander for the Tigers. The opening line for this game has Kansas City at +115 and Detroit at -125. The over/under is 8.5. The Royals have a 38-45-5 over/under mark and a 47-41-0 run line record, meaning they cover 53% of the time. The Tigers are 50-39-0 against the run line and have a 49-36-4 over/under record. They cover the spread 56% of the time.

The Royals head into this game with a 45-43 record, and they are 16-30 on the road. Starting pitcher Ian Kennedy has a 6-7 record with an ERA of 3.97 and a WHIP of 1.19. He has 103 strikeouts during his 99.2 innings pitched and he has given up 86 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 7.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.05. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 2.92 and they have allowed 265 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .234 against the pen while they've been struck out 291 times and walked 100 times this year. As a unit, Kansas City has given up 8.64 base hits per nine innings while striking out 8.4 hitters per nine. They are 13th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.18. The Royals pitchers have collectively given up 744 base hits and 360 earned runs. They have allowed 116 home runs this season and they allow 1.3 homers per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 280 batters and struck out 723. They walk 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.32 and their FIP as a unit is 4.47.

As a team, Kansas City is hitting .273, good for 3rd in the league while putting together a .255 average on the road. The Royals have a .412 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .320 which is good for 19th in the league. They rank 5th in baseball with 9.36 hits per contest. Eric Hosmer comes into this game hitting .299 and his on-base percentage is at .355. He has 100 hits this season along with 45 runs scored and 49 runs batted in. He's struck out 72 times and has walked 29 times. Lorenzo Cain is hitting .290 and he has an on-base percentage of .336. He has totaled 83 hits so far while scoring 39 runs and he's driven in 39. He has walked 19 times and has struck out 64 times. The Royals have 823 hits, including 155 doubles and 81 home runs. They've stolen 50 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 18 times. Kansas City has walked 197 times this season and they've struck out 640 times as a unit. They've left 592 men on base and have a team OPS of .731. They score 4 runs per contest and have scored a total of 352 runs so far this year.

Detroit comes into this game with a 23-16 home mark and a 46-43 overall record. With an ERA of 4.07, Justin Verlander has a 8-6 record and a 1.13 WHIP. He has 120 strikeouts over the 117.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 100 hits. He has allowed 7.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.87. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.53 and they have given up 299 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .272 against the Tigers bullpen while being struck out 238 times and walking 94 times this season. As a team, Detroit has allowed 9.47 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.4 batters per nine. They are 25th in the league in team earned run average at 4.57. The Tigers pitchers as a team have surrendered 830 base knocks and 401 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 95 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Detroit as a staff has walked 268 hitters and struck out 649. They give up a walk 3.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.39 while their FIP as a staff is 4.21.

As a team, they are batting .267, good for 6th in the league while putting together a .281 average at home. The Tigers hold a .437 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .328 which is good for 10th in baseball. They rank 7th in baseball with 9.27 hits per contest. Nick Castellanos comes into this matchup batting .302 and he has an OBP of .342. He has 99 hits this year along with 45 runs scored and 51 RBI. He's struck out 86 times and has walked on 20 occasions. Ian Kinsler is hitting .289 and he has an OBP of .348. He has collected 103 hits so far while he's scored 71 runs and drove in 52. He has earned a walk 26 times and has punched out 70 times. The Tigers as a unit have 825 base hits, including 141 doubles and 115 homers. They have 38 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 15 times. Detroit as a team has walked 268 times this year and they have struck out 756 times. They've had 606 men left on base and have an OPS of .766. They score 4.79 runs per game and have totaled 426 runs so far this season.

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 38-45-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 47-41-0 against the run line so far this season

Detroit Tigers Betting Trends

The Detroit Tigers are 49-36-4 against the over/under so far this season

The Detroit Tigers are 50-39-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Kansas City Royals

07/05/16 P Wade Davis Forearm 15-day DL (7/1)
06/29/16 CF Lorenzo Cain Hamstring 15-day DL (6/29)
05/26/16 3B Mike Moustakas Knee 60-day DL (5/23); out for season
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)

Detroit Tigers

07/06/16 P Daniel Norris Oblique 15-day DL (7/5)
07/04/16 P Jordan Zimmerman Neck 15-day DL (6/01)
06/21/16 P Drew VerHagen Shoulder 60-day DL (5/23)
06/17/16 RF J.D. Martinez Elbow 15-day DL (6/17)
04/04/16 P Jeff Ferrell Shoulder 15-day DL (3/25)
04/01/16 P Angel Nesbitt Ankle 15-day DL (3/25)

Tony's Pick: Take the Tigers

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