Thursday, April 14, 2016

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Ian Kennedy vs. Doug Fister

The Kansas City Royals visit Minute Maid Park on Thursday to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Ian Kennedy for the Royals and Doug Fister for the Astros. The opening line for this matchup has Kansas City at +108 and Houston at -118. The over/under was set at 8. The Royals have a 1-6-0 over/under record and a 3-4-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 43% of the time. The Astros are 3-5-0 against the run line and have a 6-2-0 over/under record. They cover the spread 38% of the time.

The Royals head into this matchup with a 5-2 record, including 1-1 on the road. Starting pitcher Ian Kennedy has a 1-0 record with an earned run average of 0.00 and a WHIP of 0.90. He has 7 strikeouts over his 6.2 innings pitched and he has given up 5 hits so far this season. He has allowed 6.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 1.61. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 2.52 and they have given up 23 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .240 against the bullpen while being struck out 34 times and walking 14 times this season. As a team, Kansas City has allowed 8.29 hits per nine innings while striking out 11 batters per nine. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.00. The Royals pitchers have collectively given up 58 base hits and 21 earned runs. They have allowed 4 home runs this season and they allow 0.6 homers per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 33 batters and struck out 77. They walk 4.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 11 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.44 and their FIP as a unit is 3.31.

As a team, Kansas City is batting .240, good for 17th in the league while putting together a .257 average away from home. The Royals hold a .382 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .289 which is good for 25th in baseball. They rank 17th in baseball with 8 hits per game. Eric Hosmer comes into this game hitting .308 and his on-base percentage is at .379. He has 8 hits this season along with 2 runs scored and 2 runs batted in. He's struck out 4 times and has walked 3 times. Lorenzo Cain is hitting .200 and he has an on-base percentage of .310. He has totaled 5 hits so far while scoring 5 runs and he's driven in 4. He has walked 4 times and has struck out 9 times. The Royals have 56 hits, including 7 doubles and 6 home runs. They've stolen 3 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 1 times. Kansas City has walked 17 times this season and they've struck out 52 times as a unit. They've left 47 men on base and have a team OPS of .671. They score 3.43 runs per contest and have scored a total of 24 runs so far this year.

Houston comes into this matchup with a 1-1 home record and a 3-5 overall mark. With an earned run average of 5.40, Doug Fister has a 1-0 record and a 1.40 WHIP. He has 6 strikeouts over the 5 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 5 hits. He has allowed 9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.66. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 6.11 and they have given up 27 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .245 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 31 times and walking 10 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 9.53 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.6 batters per nine. They are 26th in the league in team earned run average at 5.82. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 72 base knocks and 44 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 14 home runs this year and they give up 1.9 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a staff has walked 29 hitters and struck out 65. They give up a walk 3.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.49 while their FIP as a staff is 5.31.

As a team, they are batting .257, good for 15th in the league while putting together a .309 average at home. The Astros hold a .478 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .326 which is good for 13th in baseball. They rank 14th in baseball with 8.62 hits per contest. Jose Altuve comes into this matchup batting .250 and he has an OBP of .351. He has 8 hits this year along with 9 runs scored and 2 RBI. He's struck out 5 times and has walked on 4 occasions. Carlos Correa is hitting .355 and he has an OBP of .412. He has collected 11 hits so far while he's scored 6 runs and drove in 6. He has earned a walk 3 times and has punched out 7 times. The Astros as a unit have 69 base hits, including 16 doubles and 13 homers. They have 9 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 4 times. Houston as a team has walked 26 times this year and they have struck out 82 times. They've had 48 men left on base and have an OPS of .803. They score 4.75 runs per game and have totaled 38 runs so far this season.

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 1-6-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 3-4-0 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 6-2-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 3-5-0 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

04/04/16 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)

Josh's Pick: Take the Royals

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