Friday, August 12, 2016

Target Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Yordano Ventura vs. Kyle Gibson

The Kansas City Royals head to Target Field on Friday to take on the Minnesota Twins. The probable pitchers are Yordano Ventura for the Royals and Kyle Gibson for the Twins. The opening line for this game has Kansas City at -104 and Minnesota at -106. The over/under is 8.5. The Royals have a 48-60-5 over/under mark and a 60-53-0 run line record, meaning they cover 53% of the time. The Twins are 60-53-0 against the run line and have a 68-39-6 over/under record. They cover the spread 53% of the time.

The Royals head into this game with a 54-59 record, and they are 19-38 on the road. Starting pitcher Yordano Ventura has a 7-9 record with an ERA of 4.64 and a WHIP of 1.38. He has 92 strikeouts during his 126 innings pitched and he has given up 120 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 8.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.8. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 3.41 and they have allowed 349 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .243 against the pen while they've been struck out 362 times and walked 130 times this year. As a unit, Kansas City has given up 8.76 base hits per nine innings while striking out 8.23 hitters per nine. They are 19th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.27. The Royals pitchers have collectively given up 972 base hits and 474 earned runs. They have allowed 151 home runs this season and they allow 1.4 homers per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 364 batters and struck out 913. They walk 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.34 and their FIP as a unit is 4.49.

As a team, Kansas City is hitting .263, good for 7th in the league while putting together a .246 average on the road. The Royals have a .395 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .312 which is good for 22nd in the league. They rank 8th in baseball with 9 hits per contest. Eric Hosmer comes into this game hitting .277 and his on-base percentage is at .336. He has 119 hits this season along with 55 runs scored and 63 runs batted in. He's struck out 93 times and has walked 38 times. Alcides Escobar is hitting .251 and he has an on-base percentage of .280. He has totaled 116 hits so far while scoring 39 runs and he's driven in 30. He has walked 19 times and has struck out 67 times. The Royals have 1,016 hits, including 188 doubles and 95 home runs. They've stolen 70 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 22 times. Kansas City has walked 257 times this season and they've struck out 840 times as a unit. They've left 746 men on base and have a team OPS of .707. They score 3.84 runs per contest and have scored a total of 434 runs so far this year.

Minnesota comes into this game with a 24-33 home mark and a 46-67 overall record. With an ERA of 4.86, Kyle Gibson has a 4-6 record and a 1.48 WHIP. He has 61 strikeouts over the 87 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 99 hits. He has allowed 10.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.62. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.23 and they have given up 397 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .264 against the Twins bullpen while being struck out 363 times and walking 121 times this season. As a team, Minnesota has allowed 9.96 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.39 batters per nine. They are 28th in the league in team earned run average at 4.83. The Twins pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,111 base knocks and 539 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 155 home runs this year and they give up 1.4 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Minnesota as a staff has walked 295 hitters and struck out 825. They give up a walk 2.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.40 while their FIP as a staff is 4.44.

As a team, they are batting .257, good for 13th in the league while putting together a .258 average at home. The Twins hold a .429 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322 which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 11th in baseball with 8.9 hits per contest. Joe Mauer comes into this matchup batting .279 and he has an OBP of .381. He has 109 hits this year along with 57 runs scored and 42 RBI. He's struck out 72 times and has walked on 64 occasions. Brian Dozier is hitting .261 and he has an OBP of .335. He has collected 109 hits so far while he's scored 65 runs and drove in 65. He has earned a walk 42 times and has punched out 79 times. The Twins as a unit have 1,006 base hits, including 209 doubles and 136 homers. They have 74 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 23 times. Minnesota as a team has walked 362 times this year and they have struck out 963 times. They've had 795 men left on base and have an OPS of .751. They score 4.61 runs per game and have totaled 521 runs so far this season.

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 48-60-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 60-53-0 against the run line so far this season

Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 68-39-6 against the over/under so far this season

The Minnesota Twins are 60-53-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Kansas City Royals

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)

Minnesota Twins

08/11/16 P Trevor May Back 15-day DL (8/7)
06/10/16 P Phil Hughes Knee 60-day DL (6/10); out for season
04/13/16 P Glen Perkins Shoulder 60-day DL (4/11); out for season

Tony's Pick: Take the Twins

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