Thursday, May 12, 2016

Yankee Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Ian Kennedy vs. Nathan Eovaldi

The Kansas City Royals visit Yankee Stadium on Thursday to play the New York Yankees. The probable starters are Ian Kennedy for the Royals and Nathan Eovaldi for the Yankees. The opening line for this matchup has Kansas City at +115 and New York at -125. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Royals have a 11-19-2 over/under record and a 15-17-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 47% of the time. The Yankees are 14-17-0 against the run line and have a 12-16-3 over/under record. They cover the spread 45% of the time.

The Royals head into this matchup with a 15-17 record, including 6-12 on the road. Starting pitcher Ian Kennedy has a 4-2 record with an earned run average of 2.13 and a WHIP of 1.08. He has 35 strikeouts over his 38 innings pitched and he has given up 28 hits so far this season. He has allowed 6.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.62. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 2.95 and they have given up 96 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .233 against the bullpen while being struck out 106 times and walking 37 times this season. As a team, Kansas City has allowed 8.45 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.16 batters per nine. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 4.03. The Royals pitchers have collectively given up 260 base hits and 124 earned runs. They have allowed 34 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 121 batters and struck out 251. They walk 3.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.38 and their FIP as a unit is 4.31.

As a team, Kansas City is batting .254, good for 12th in the league while putting together a .257 average away from home. The Royals hold a .388 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .304 which is good for 24th in baseball. They rank 12th in baseball with 8.56 hits per game. Eric Hosmer comes into this game hitting .325 and his on-base percentage is at .377. He has 39 hits this season along with 16 runs scored and 16 runs batted in. He's struck out 22 times and has walked 10 times. Alcides Escobar is hitting .257 and he has an on-base percentage of .292. He has totaled 35 hits so far while scoring 10 runs and he's driven in 9. He has walked 7 times and has struck out 20 times. The Royals have 274 hits, including 49 doubles and 29 home runs. They've stolen 24 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 8 times. Kansas City has walked 72 times this season and they've struck out 226 times as a unit. They've left 211 men on base and have a team OPS of .692. They score 3.5 runs per contest and have scored a total of 112 runs so far this year.

New York comes into this matchup with a 9-8 home record and a 13-18 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.78, Nathan Eovaldi has a 2-2 record and a 1.25 WHIP. He has 37 strikeouts over the 37.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 39 hits. He has allowed 9.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.92. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.80 and they have given up 79 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .230 against the Yankees bullpen while being struck out 114 times and walking 24 times this season. As a team, New York has allowed 9.12 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.02 batters per nine. They are 21st in the league in team earned run average at 4.30. The Yankees pitchers as a team have surrendered 276 base knocks and 130 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 42 home runs this year and they give up 1.4 home runs per nine innings as a staff. New York as a staff has walked 68 hitters and struck out 273. They give up a walk 2.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.26 while their FIP as a staff is 3.97.

As a team, they are batting .238, good for 22nd in the league while putting together a .256 average at home. The Yankees hold a .375 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .307 which is good for 22nd in baseball. They rank 24th in baseball with 7.81 hits per contest. Starlin Castro comes into this matchup batting .297 and he has an OBP of .345. He has 33 hits this year along with 10 runs scored and 12 RBI. He's struck out 15 times and has walked on 7 occasions. Jacoby Ellsbury is hitting .260 and he has an OBP of .321. He has collected 26 hits so far while he's scored 10 runs and drove in 9. He has earned a walk 8 times and has punched out 17 times. The Yankees as a unit have 242 base hits, including 43 doubles and 30 homers. They have 23 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 6 times. New York as a team has walked 96 times this year and they have struck out 218 times. They've had 198 men left on base and have an OPS of .681. They score 3.77 runs per game and have totaled 117 runs so far this season.

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 11-19-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 15-17-0 against the run line so far this season

New York Yankees Betting Trends

The New York Yankees are 12-16-3 against the over/under so far this season

The New York Yankees are 14-17-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Kansas City Royals

05/07/16 3B Mike Moustakas Hand 15-day DL (5/5)
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)

New York Yankees

05/11/16 CF Jacoby Ellsbury Hip "?" Wednesday vs. Kansas City Royals
05/10/16 1B Mark Teixeira Neck "?" Wednesday vs. Kansas City Royals
05/06/16 P CC Sabathia Groin 15-day DL (5/06)
05/04/16 DH Alex Rodriguez Hamstring 15-day DL (5/3)
04/03/16 RF Mason Williams Shoulder 15-day DL (3/25)
03/31/16 P Bryan Mitchell Toe 15-day DL (3/31)
03/31/16 1B Gregory Bird Shoulder 15-day DL (3/25); out for season

Guy's Pick: Take the Yankees

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