Monday, April 11, 2016
Minute Maid Park
For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here
Probable Pitchers: Chris Young vs. Collin McHugh
The Kansas City Royals visit Minute Maid Park on Monday to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Chris Young for the Royals and Collin McHugh for the Astros. The opening line for this matchup has Kansas City at +122 and Houston at -132. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Royals have a 0-4-0 over/under record and a 2-2-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 50% of the time. The Astros are 2-3-0 against the run line and have a 5-0-0 over/under record. They cover the spread 40% of the time.
The Royals head into this matchup with a 3-1 record. Starting pitcher Chris Young held a 11-6 record with an earned run average of 3.06 and a WHIP of 1.09 last season. He had 83 strikeouts over his 123.1 innings pitched and he also gave up 91 hits over that time period. He allowed 6.6 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 4.52. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 2.70 and they have given up 14 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .259 against the bullpen while being struck out 19 times and walking 8 times this season. As a team, Kansas City has allowed 6.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.25 batters per nine. They are 3rd in the league in team earned run average at 2.00. The Royals pitchers have collectively given up 26 base hits and 8 earned runs. They have allowed 2 home runs this season and they allow 0.5 homers per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 21 batters and struck out 41. They walk 5.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 10.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.31 and their FIP as a unit is 3.54.
As a team, Kansas City is batting .242, good for 16th in the league. The Royals hold a .391 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .303 which is good for 19th in baseball. They rank 18th in baseball with 7.75 hits per game. Eric Hosmer comes into this game hitting .214 and his on-base percentage is at .353. He has 3 hits this season along with 0 runs scored and 1 run batted in. He's struck out 3 times and has walked 3 times. Lorenzo Cain is hitting .231 and he has an on-base percentage of .412. He has totaled 3 hits so far while scoring 3 runs and he's driven in 1. He has walked 4 times and has struck out 7 times. The Royals have 31 hits, including 4 doubles, 3 triples, and 3 home runs. They've stolen 2 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 1 time. Kansas City has walked 12 times this season and they've struck out 33 times as a unit. They've left 28 men on base and have a team OPS of .693. They score 3.75 runs per contest and have scored a total of 15 runs so far this year.
Houston comes into this matchup with a 2-3 overall mark. With an earned run average last season of 3.89, Collin McHugh had a 19-7 record and a 1.28 WHIP. He had 171 strikeouts over the 203.2 innings he pitched during which he gave up 207 hits. He allowed 9.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 3.58. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 7.40 and they have given up 23 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .267 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 25 times and walking 8 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 10.29 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.43 batters per nine. They are 29th in the league in team earned run average at 7.71. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 48 base knocks and 36 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 12 home runs this year and they give up 2.6 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a staff has walked 19 hitters and struck out 44. They give up a walk 4.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.60 while their FIP as a staff is 6.33.
As a team, they are batting .262, good for 12th in the league. The Astros hold a .500 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .310 which is good for 18th in baseball. They rank 12th in baseball with 9 hits per contest. Jose Altuve comes into this matchup batting .190 and he has an OBP of .261. He has 4 hits this year along with 4 runs scored and 0 RBI. He's struck out 2 times and has walked on 1 occasion. Carlos Correa is hitting .350 and he has an OBP of .381. He has collected 7 hits so far while he's scored 5 runs and drove in 4. He has earned a walk 1 times and has punched out 5 times. The Astros as a unit have 45 base hits, including 11 doubles, 0 triples, and 10 homers. They have 6 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 1 time. Houston as a team has walked 11 times this year and they have struck out 47 times. They've had 27 men left on base and have an OPS of .810. They score 5.2 runs per game and have totaled 26 runs so far this season.
Kansas City Royals Betting Trends
The Kansas City Royals are 0-4-0 against the over/under so far this season
The Kansas City Royals are 2-2-0 against the run line so far this season
Houston Astros Betting Trends
The Houston Astros are 5-0-0 against the over/under so far this season
The Houston Astros are 2-3-0 against the run line so far this season
Injuries to Watch
Kansas City Royals
No key injuries to report
Houston Astros
04/04/16 P Lance McCuller Shoulder Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)
04/02/16 DH Evan Gattis Abdominal Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)
04/02/16 C Max Stassi Wrist Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/29)
Tony's Pick: Take the Royals
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