Monday, September 5, 2016

Target Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Ian Kennedy vs. Andrew Albers

The Kansas City Royals head to Target Field on Monday to take on the Minnesota Twins. The probable pitchers are Ian Kennedy for the Royals and Andrew Albers for the Twins. The opening line for this game has Kansas City at -137 and Minnesota at +127. The over/under is 9. The Royals have a 57-70-8 over/under mark and a 74-61-0 run line record, meaning they cover 55% of the time. The Twins are 70-66-0 against the run line and have a 84-45-7 over/under record. They cover the spread 52% of the time.

The Royals head into this game with a 70-65 record, and they are 28-41 on the road. Starting pitcher Ian Kennedy has a 9-9 record with an ERA of 3.66 and a WHIP of 1.18. He has 154 strikeouts during his 160 innings pitched and he has given up 139 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 7.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.72. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 3.10 and they have allowed 396 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .235 against the pen while they've been struck out 423 times and walked 149 times this year. As a unit, Kansas City has given up 8.66 base hits per nine innings while striking out 8.09 hitters per nine. They are 9th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.00. The Royals pitchers have collectively given up 1,155 base hits and 534 earned runs. They have allowed 171 home runs this season and they allow 1.3 homers per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 415 batters and struck out 1,079. They walk 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.31 and their FIP as a unit is 4.37.

As a team, Kansas City is hitting .261, good for 9th in the league while putting together a .247 average on the road. The Royals have a .398 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .312 which is good for 25th in the league. They rank 8th in baseball with 8.96 hits per contest. Eric Hosmer comes into this game hitting .272 and his on-base percentage is at .335. He has 140 hits this season along with 67 runs scored and 83 runs batted in. He's struck out 109 times and has walked 49 times. Alcides Escobar is hitting .266 and he has an on-base percentage of .296. He has totaled 145 hits so far while scoring 49 runs and he's driven in 45. He has walked 24 times and has struck out 76 times. The Royals have 1,208 hits, including 223 doubles and 120 home runs. They've stolen 92 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 29 times. Kansas City has walked 320 times this season and they've struck out 1,006 times as a unit. They've left 890 men on base and have a team OPS of .710. They score 4.05 runs per contest and have scored a total of 547 runs so far this year.

Minnesota comes into this game with a 27-41 home mark and a 51-85 overall record. With an ERA of 6.97, Andrew Albers has a 0-0 record and a 2.13 WHIP. He has 8 strikeouts over the 10.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 18 hits. He has allowed 15.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 7.79. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.45 and they have given up 509 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .272 against the Twins bullpen while being struck out 437 times and walking 157 times this season. As a team, Minnesota has allowed 10.28 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.32 batters per nine. They are 29th in the league in team earned run average at 5.13. The Twins pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,376 base knocks and 686 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 191 home runs this year and they give up 1.4 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Minnesota as a staff has walked 385 hitters and struck out 980. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.3 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.46 while their FIP as a staff is 4.62.

As a team, they are batting .256, good for 14th in the league while putting together a .258 average at home. The Twins hold a .425 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .320 which is good for 20th in baseball. They rank 11th in baseball with 8.89 hits per contest. Joe Mauer comes into this matchup batting .274 and he has an OBP of .373. He has 125 hits this year along with 66 runs scored and 47 RBI. He's struck out 85 times and has walked on 72 occasions. Brian Dozier is hitting .273 and he has an OBP of .345. He has collected 140 hits so far while he's scored 88 runs and drove in 85. He has earned a walk 52 times and has punched out 103 times. The Twins as a unit have 1,209 base hits, including 252 doubles and 162 homers. They have 82 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 26 times. Minnesota as a team has walked 425 times this year and they have struck out 1,161 times. They've had 942 men left on base and have an OPS of .746. They score 4.6 runs per game and have totaled 626 runs so far this season.

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 57-70-8 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 74-61-0 against the run line so far this season

Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 84-45-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Minnesota Twins are 70-66-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Kansas City Royals

09/04/16 CF Lorenzo Cain Wrist "?" Sunday vs. Detroit Tigers
08/31/16 P Chien-Ming Wang Bicep 15-day DL (8/31)
08/31/16 P Edinson Volquez Finger "?" for next scheduled start
07/29/16 P Luke Hochevar Shoulder 60-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); out for season
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

08/29/16 CF Danny Santana Shoulder 15-day DL (8/29); out for season
08/24/16 DH Byung Ho Park Wrist out for season
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

Tony's Pick: Take the Twins

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