Thursday, August 25, 2016

Marlins Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Edinson Volquez vs. Tom Koehler

The Kansas City Royals visit Marlins Park on Thursday to play the Miami Marlins. The probable starters are Edinson Volquez for the Royals and Tom Koehler for the Marlins. The opening line for this matchup has Kansas City at -109 and Miami at -101. The over/under was set at 8. The Royals have a 51-67-7 over/under record and a 68-57-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 54% of the time. The Marlins are 64-61-0 against the run line and have a 65-58-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 51% of the time.

The Royals head into this matchup with a 65-60 record, including 25-39 on the road. Starting pitcher Edinson Volquez has a 9-10 record with an earned run average of 5.04 and a WHIP of 1.46. He has 112 strikeouts over his 151.2 innings pitched and he has given up 167 hits so far this season. He has allowed 9.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.4. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.17 and they have given up 356 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .233 against the bullpen while being struck out 391 times and walking 137 times this season. As a team, Kansas City has allowed 8.52 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.22 batters per nine. They are 11th in the league in team earned run average at 4.02. The Royals pitchers have collectively given up 1,048 base hits and 494 earned runs. They have allowed 162 home runs this season and they allow 1.3 homers per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 384 batters and struck out 1,011. They walk 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.29 and their FIP as a unit is 4.40.

As a team, Kansas City is batting .263, good for 6th in the league while putting together a .247 average away from home. The Royals hold a .399 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .313 which is good for 22nd in baseball. They rank 7th in baseball with 9 hits per game. Alcides Escobar comes into this game hitting .259 and his on-base percentage is at .289. He has 131 hits this season along with 44 runs scored and 35 runs batted in. He's struck out 69 times and has walked 22 times. Eric Hosmer is hitting .275 and he has an on-base percentage of .333. He has totaled 131 hits so far while scoring 61 runs and he's driven in 73. He has walked 42 times and has struck out 100 times. The Royals have 1,124 hits, including 210 doubles and 108 home runs. They've stolen 76 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 25 times. Kansas City has walked 289 times this season and they've struck out 930 times as a unit. They've left 822 men on base and have a team OPS of .711. They score 3.97 runs per contest and have scored a total of 496 runs so far this year.

Miami comes into this matchup with a 31-29 home record and a 65-60 overall mark. With an earned run average of 3.82, Tom Koehler has a 9-8 record and a 1.39 WHIP. He has 109 strikeouts over the 139 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 134 hits. He has allowed 8.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.08. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.62 and they have given up 362 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .230 against the Marlins bullpen while being struck out 436 times and walking 197 times this season. As a team, Miami has allowed 8.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.68 batters per nine. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 3.93. The Marlins pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,041 base knocks and 487 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 112 home runs this year and they give up 0.9 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Miami as a staff has walked 453 hitters and struck out 1,076. They give up a walk 3.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.34 while their FIP as a staff is 3.88.

As a team, they are batting .269, good for 3rd in the league while putting together a .256 average at home. The Marlins hold a .406 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329 which is good for 6th in baseball. They rank 3rd in baseball with 9.35 hits per contest. Christian Yelich comes into this matchup batting .312 and he has an OBP of .383. He has 140 hits this year along with 65 runs scored and 72 RBI. He's struck out 107 times and has walked on 50 occasions. Martin Prado is hitting .320 and he has an OBP of .373. He has collected 151 hits so far while he's scored 58 runs and drove in 59. He has earned a walk 40 times and has punched out 53 times. The Marlins as a unit have 1,169 base hits, including 211 doubles and 106 homers. They have 47 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 18 times. Miami as a team has walked 354 times this year and they have struck out 948 times. They've had 924 men left on base and have an OPS of .735. They score 4.22 runs per game and have totaled 528 runs so far this season.

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 51-67-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 68-57-0 against the run line so far this season

Miami Marlins Betting Trends

The Miami Marlins are 65-58-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Miami Marlins are 64-61-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Kansas City Royals

08/23/16 DH Kendrys Morales Rest is not expected to be in the starting lineup for series vs Miami Marlins
07/31/16 P Wade Davis Hip 15-day DL (7/30)
07/29/16 P Luke Hochevar Shoulder 15-day DL (7/25)
07/19/16 P Kris Medlen Shoulder 60-day DL (5/11)
05/26/16 3B Mike Moustakas Knee 60-day DL (5/23); out for season
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)

Miami Marlins

08/24/16 CF Marcell Ozuna Personal "?" Wednesday vs. Kansas City Royals
08/23/16 2B Derek Dietrich Knee 15-day DL (8/19)
08/23/16 1B Justin Bour Ankle 60-day DL (7/3)
08/14/16 P Adam Conley Finger 15-day DL (8/14)
08/14/16 RF Giancarlo Stanton Groin 15-day DL (8/14)
07/25/16 P Wei-Yin Chen Elbow 15-day DL (7/21)
07/01/16 P Bryan Morris Back 60-day DL (5/25)
05/15/16 P Kendry Flores Shoulder 15-day DL (5/15)
04/04/16 P Raudel Lazo Shoulder 15-day DL (3/25)

Josh's Pick: Take the Royals

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