Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Kris Medlen vs. Mike Fiers

The Kansas City Royals visit Minute Maid Park on Tuesday to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Kris Medlen for the Royals and Mike Fiers for the Astros. The opening line for this matchup has Kansas City at +126 and Houston at -136. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Royals have a 0-5-0 over/under record and a 2-3-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 40% of the time. The Astros are 2-4-0 against the run line and have a 5-1-0 over/under record. They cover the spread 33% of the time.

The Royals head into this matchup with a 4-1 record, including 0-0 on the road. Starting pitcher Kris Medlen held a 6-2 record with an earned run average of 4.01 and a WHIP of 1.27 last season. He had 40 strikeouts over his 58.1 innings pitched and he also gave up 56 hits over that time period. He allowed 8.6 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 4.13. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 2.55 and they have given up 17 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .246 against the bullpen while being struck out 23 times and walking 10 times this season. As a team, Kansas City has allowed 7.24 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.76 batters per nine. They are 3rd in the league in team earned run average at 2.15. The Royals pitchers have collectively given up 37 base hits and 11 earned runs. They have allowed 3 home runs this season and they allow 0.6 homers per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 23 batters and struck out 55. They walk 4.5 men per 9 innings while striking out 10.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.30 and their FIP as a unit is 3.30.

As a team, Kansas City is batting .233, good for 19th in the league. The Royals hold a .387 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .289 which is good for 25th in baseball. They rank 18th in baseball with 7.6 hits per game. Eric Hosmer comes into this game hitting .222 and his on-base percentage is at .333. He has 4 hits this season along with 1 run scored and 2 runs batted in. He's struck out 3 times and has walked 3 times. Lorenzo Cain is hitting .235 and he has an on-base percentage of .381. He has totaled 4 hits so far while scoring 4 runs and he's driven in 1. He has walked 4 times and has struck out 7 times. The Royals have 38 hits, including 5 doubles, 4 triples, and 4 home runs. They've stolen 2 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 1 times. Kansas City has walked 14 times this season and they've struck out 41 times as a unit. They've left 33 men on base and have a team OPS of .675. They score 3.8 runs per contest and have scored a total of 19 runs so far this year.

Houston comes into this matchup with a 0-0 home record and a 2-4 overall mark. With an earned run average last season of 3.69, Mike Fiers had a 7-10 record and a 1.25 WHIP. He had 180 strikeouts over the 180.1 innings he pitched during which he gave up 162 hits. He allowed 8.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 4.03. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 6.65 and they have given up 23 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .250 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 27 times and walking 9 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 9.72 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.72 batters per nine. They are 29th in the league in team earned run average at 7.02. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 54 base knocks and 39 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 12 home runs this year and they give up 2.2 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a staff has walked 26 hitters and struck out 54. They give up a walk 4.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.60 while their FIP as a staff is 5.73.

As a team, they are batting .240, good for 16th in the league. The Astros hold a .475 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .300 which is good for 19th in baseball. They rank 16th in baseball with 8 hits per contest. Jose Altuve comes into this matchup batting .208 and he has an OBP of .296. He has 5 hits this year along with 5 runs scored and 1 RBI. He's struck out 3 times and has walked on 2 occasions. Carlos Correa is hitting .304 and he has an OBP of .360. He has collected 7 hits so far while he's scored 5 runs and drove in 4. He has earned a walk 2 times and has punched out 6 times. The Astros as a unit have 48 base hits, including 11 doubles, 0 triples, and 12 homers. They have 7 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 4 times. Houston as a team has walked 16 times this year and they have struck out 60 times. They've had 31 men left on base and have an OPS of .775. They score 4.67 runs per game and have totaled 28 runs so far this season.

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 0-5-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 2-3-0 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 5-1-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 2-4-0 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)

Guy's Pick: Take the Royals

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