Monday, May 23, 2016

Target Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Ian Kennedy vs. Ricky Nolasco

The Kansas City Royals visit Target Field on Monday to play the Minnesota Twins. The probable starters are Ian Kennedy for the Royals and Ricky Nolasco for the Twins. The opening line for this matchup has Kansas City at -134 and Minnesota at +124. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Royals have a 14-25-3 over/under record and a 21-21-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 50% of the time. The Twins are 17-25-0 against the run line and have a 21-18-3 over/under record. They cover the spread 41% of the time.

The Royals head into this matchup with a 22-20 record, including 9-13 on the road. Starting pitcher Ian Kennedy has a 4-3 record with an earned run average of 3.24 and a WHIP of 1.12. He has 50 strikeouts over his 50 innings pitched and he has given up 39 hits so far this season. He has allowed 7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.15. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 2.51 and they have given up 127 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .226 against the bullpen while being struck out 152 times and walking 50 times this season. As a team, Kansas City has allowed 8.32 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.27 batters per nine. They are 11th in the league in team earned run average at 3.77. The Royals pitchers have collectively given up 342 base hits and 155 earned runs. They have allowed 42 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 152 batters and struck out 340. They walk 3.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.34 and their FIP as a unit is 4.07.

As a team, Kansas City is batting .255, good for 11th in the league while putting together a .261 average away from home. The Royals hold a .389 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .305 which is good for 23rd in baseball. They rank 12th in baseball with 8.6 hits per game. Eric Hosmer comes into this game hitting .312 and his on-base percentage is at .370. He has 49 hits this season along with 21 runs scored and 21 runs batted in. He's struck out 30 times and has walked 15 times. Alcides Escobar is hitting .267 and he has an on-base percentage of .300. He has totaled 48 hits so far while scoring 16 runs and he's driven in 12. He has walked 8 times and has struck out 24 times. The Royals have 361 hits, including 65 doubles and 38 home runs. They've stolen 31 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 10 times. Kansas City has walked 93 times this season and they've struck out 293 times as a unit. They've left 274 men on base and have a team OPS of .695. They score 3.57 runs per contest and have scored a total of 150 runs so far this year.

Minnesota comes into this matchup with a 7-13 home record and a 11-32 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.74, Ricky Nolasco has a 1-2 record and a 1.24 WHIP. He has 43 strikeouts over the 49.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 52 hits. He has allowed 9.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.71. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.75 and they have given up 171 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .283 against the Twins bullpen while being struck out 148 times and walking 55 times this season. As a team, Minnesota has allowed 9.96 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.95 batters per nine. They are 29th in the league in team earned run average at 4.96. The Twins pitchers as a team have surrendered 410 base knocks and 204 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 60 home runs this year and they give up 1.5 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Minnesota as a staff has walked 128 hitters and struck out 327. They give up a walk 3.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.45 while their FIP as a staff is 4.52.

As a team, they are batting .234, good for 24th in the league while putting together a .241 average at home. The Twins hold a .375 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .298 which is good for 25th in baseball. They rank 20th in baseball with 7.98 hits per contest. Joe Mauer comes into this matchup batting .265 and he has an OBP of .377. He has 39 hits this year along with 11 runs scored and 11 RBI. He's struck out 26 times and has walked on 26 occasions. Eduardo Nunez is hitting .331 and he has an OBP of .367. He has collected 39 hits so far while he's scored 16 runs and drove in 17. He has earned a walk 5 times and has punched out 24 times. The Twins as a unit have 335 base hits, including 70 doubles and 40 homers. They have 30 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 8 times. Minnesota as a team has walked 124 times this year and they have struck out 376 times. They've had 290 men left on base and have an OPS of .673. They score 3.6 runs per game and have totaled 151 runs so far this season.

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 14-25-3 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 21-21-0 against the run line so far this season

Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 21-18-3 against the over/under so far this season

The Minnesota Twins are 17-25-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Kansas City Royals

05/12/16 P Chris Young Forearm 15-day DL (5/9)
05/12/16 P Kris Medlen Shoulder 15-day DL (5/10)
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)

Minnesota Twins

05/07/16 SS Eduardo Escobar Groin 15-day DL (5/7)
04/27/16 P Kyle Gibson Shoulder 15-day DL (4/23)
04/13/16 P Glen Perkins Shoulder 15-day DL (4/11)

Josh's Pick: Take the Twins

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