Sunday, August 14, 2016

Target Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Edinson Volquez vs. Hector Santiago

The Kansas City Royals visit Target Field on Sunday to play the Minnesota Twins. The probable starters are Edinson Volquez for the Royals and Hector Santiago for the Twins. The opening line for this matchup has Kansas City at +120 and Minnesota at -130. The over/under was set at 9. The Royals have a 49-61-5 over/under record and a 61-54-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 53% of the time. The Twins are 60-56-0 against the run line and have a 71-39-6 over/under record. They cover the spread 52% of the time.

The Royals head into this matchup with a 56-59 record, including 20-38 on the road. Starting pitcher Edinson Volquez has a 8-10 record with an earned run average of 5.03 and a WHIP of 1.48. He has 104 strikeouts over his 141.1 innings pitched and he has given up 156 hits so far this season. He has allowed 9.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.37. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.39 and they have given up 350 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .243 against the bullpen while being struck out 365 times and walking 130 times this season. As a team, Kansas City has allowed 8.71 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.24 batters per nine. They are 18th in the league in team earned run average at 4.23. The Royals pitchers have collectively given up 984 base hits and 478 earned runs. They have allowed 153 home runs this season and they allow 1.4 homers per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 365 batters and struck out 931. They walk 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.33 and their FIP as a unit is 4.47.

As a team, Kansas City is batting .263, good for 8th in the league while putting together a .247 average away from home. The Royals hold a .394 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .312 which is good for 22nd in baseball. They rank 10th in baseball with 8.97 hits per game. Eric Hosmer comes into this game hitting .277 and his on-base percentage is at .335. He has 121 hits this season along with 55 runs scored and 65 runs batted in. He's struck out 96 times and has walked 38 times. Alcides Escobar is hitting .252 and he has an on-base percentage of .280. He has totaled 118 hits so far while scoring 40 runs and he's driven in 30. He has walked 19 times and has struck out 67 times. The Royals have 1,031 hits, including 190 doubles and 96 home runs. They've stolen 74 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 23 times. Kansas City has walked 260 times this season and they've struck out 862 times as a unit. They've left 756 men on base and have a team OPS of .706. They score 3.85 runs per contest and have scored a total of 443 runs so far this year.

Minnesota comes into this matchup with a 24-36 home record and a 46-70 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.47, Hector Santiago has a 10-6 record and a 1.34 WHIP. He has 115 strikeouts over the 131 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 116 hits. He has allowed 8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.13. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.32 and they have given up 420 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .266 against the Twins bullpen while being struck out 379 times and walking 127 times this season. As a team, Minnesota has allowed 10.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.39 batters per nine. They are 28th in the league in team earned run average at 4.94. The Twins pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,157 base knocks and 566 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 160 home runs this year and they give up 1.4 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Minnesota as a staff has walked 306 hitters and struck out 847. They give up a walk 2.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.42 while their FIP as a staff is 4.47.

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 .321 which is good for 18th in baseball. They rank 11th in baseball with 8.91 hits per contest. Joe Mauer comes into this matchup batting .276 and he has an OBP of .375. He has 111 hits this year along with 59 runs scored and 42 RBI. He's struck out 74 times and has walked on 64 occasions. Brian Dozier is hitting .264 and he has an OBP of .339. He has collected 113 hits so far while he's scored 67 runs and drove in 68. He has earned a walk 44 times and has punched out 81 times. The Twins as a unit have 1,033 base hits, including 216 doubles and 140 homers. They have 74 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 23 times. Minnesota as a team has walked 365 times this year and they have struck out 990 times. They've had 812 men left on base and have an OPS of .750. They score 4.59 runs per game and have totaled 533 runs so far this season.

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 49-61-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 61-54-0 against the run line so far this season

Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 71-39-6 against the over/under so far this season

The Minnesota Twins are 60-56-0 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

08/13/16 P Tommy Milone Bicep 15-day DL (8/11)
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

Guy's Pick: Take the Royals

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