Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Yordano Ventura vs. Scott Feldman

The Kansas City Royals visit Minute Maid Park on Wednesday to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Yordano Ventura for the Royals and Scott Feldman for the Astros. The opening line for this matchup has Kansas City at +105 and Houston at -115. The over/under was set at 8. The Royals have a 1-5-0 over/under record and a 2-4-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 33% of the time. The Astros are 3-4-0 against the run line and have a 6-1-0 over/under record. They cover the spread 43% of the time.

The Royals head into this matchup with a 4-2 record, including 0-1 on the road. Starting pitcher Yordano Ventura held a 13-8 record with an earned run average of 4.08 and a WHIP of 1.30 last season. He had 156 strikeouts over his 163.1 innings pitched and he also gave up 154 hits over that time period. He allowed 8.5 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 3.57. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.00 and they have given up 22 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .265 against the bullpen while being struck out 27 times and walking 11 times this season. As a team, Kansas City has allowed 8.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.5 batters per nine. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 3.17. The Royals pitchers have collectively given up 51 base hits and 19 earned runs. They have allowed 4 home runs this season and they allow 0.7 homers per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 26 batters and struck out 63. They walk 4.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 10.5 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.43 and their FIP as a unit is 3.53.

As a team, Kansas City is batting .245, good for 17th in the league while putting together a .297 average away from home. The Royals hold a .390 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .294 which is good for 23rd in baseball. They rank 16th in baseball with 8.17 hits per game. Eric Hosmer comes into this game hitting .318 and his on-base percentage is at .400. He has 7 hits this season along with 2 runs scored and 2 runs batted in. He's struck out 3 times and has walked 3 times. Lorenzo Cain is hitting .190 and he has an on-base percentage of .320. 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 8 times. The Royals have 49 hits, including 6 doubles, 4 triples, and 5 home runs. They've stolen 2 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 1 times. Kansas City has walked 15 times this season and they've struck out 46 times as a unit. They've left 42 men on base and have a team OPS of .684. They score 3.5 runs per contest and have scored a total of 21 runs so far this year.

Houston comes into this matchup with a 1-0 home record and a 3-4 overall mark. With an earned run average last season of 3.9, Scott Feldman had a 5-5 record and a 1.31 WHIP. He had 61 strikeouts over the 108.1 innings he pitched during which he gave up 115 hits. He allowed 9.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 4.32. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 6.84 and they have given up 26 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .260 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 28 times and walking 9 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 9.92 hits per nine innings while striking out 9 batters per nine. They are 27th in the league in team earned run average at 6.25. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 65 base knocks and 41 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 13 home runs this year and they give up 2 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a staff has walked 27 hitters and struck out 59. They give up a walk 4.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.56 while their FIP as a staff is 5.58.

As a team, they are batting .262, good for 12th in the league while putting together a .378 average at home. The Astros hold a .502 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .319 which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 14th in baseball with 8.86 hits per contest. Jose Altuve comes into this matchup batting .286 and he has an OBP of .375. He has 8 hits this year along with 8 runs scored and 2 RBI. He's struck out 4 times and has walked on 3 occasions. Carlos Correa is hitting .357 and he has an OBP of .400. He has collected 10 hits so far while he's scored 6 runs and drove in 6. He has earned a walk 2 times and has punched out 6 times. The Astros as a unit have 62 base hits, including 14 doubles, 2 triples, and 13 homers. They have 9 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 4 times. Houston as a team has walked 19 times this year and they have struck out 68 times. They've had 39 men left on base and have an OPS of .821. They score 5.14 runs per game and have totaled 36 runs so far this season.

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 1-5-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 2-4-0 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 6-1-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 3-4-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Kansas City Royals

04/10/16 P Mike Minor Shoulder Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/15)
04/04/16 RF Jarrod Dyson Oblique Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)
04/04/16 P Tim Collins Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list; out for season
03/31/16 P Jason Vargas Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/15)

Houston Astros

04/12/16 DH Evan Gattis Abdominal is upgraded to probable Tuesday vs. Kansas City Royals
04/04/16 P Lance McCuller Shoulder 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 Astros

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