Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Busch Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Edinson Volquez vs. Carlos Martinez

The Kansas City Royals visit Busch Stadium on Wednesday to play the St. Louis Cardinals. The probable starters are Edinson Volquez for the Royals and Carlos Martinez for the Cardinals. The opening line for this matchup has Kansas City at +158 and St. Louis at -168. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Royals have a 33-37-5 over/under record and a 42-33-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 56% of the time. The Cardinals are 40-35-0 against the run line and have a 42-29-4 over/under record. They cover the spread 53% of the time.

The Royals head into this matchup with a 40-35 record, including 13-25 on the road. Starting pitcher Edinson Volquez has a 7-7 record with an earned run average of 5.15 and a WHIP of 1.46. He has 73 strikeouts over his 92.2 innings pitched and he has given up 99 hits so far this season. He has allowed 9.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.24. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 2.77 and they have given up 218 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .228 against the bullpen while being struck out 244 times and walking 84 times this season. As a team, Kansas City has allowed 8.55 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.31 batters per nine. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 4.12. The Royals pitchers have collectively given up 627 base hits and 302 earned runs. They have allowed 99 home runs this season and they allow 1.4 homers per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 243 batters and struck out 609. They walk 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.32 and their FIP as a unit is 4.49.

As a team, Kansas City is batting .278, good for 2nd in the league while putting together a .262 average away from home. The Royals hold a .416 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .325 which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 3rd in baseball with 9.53 hits per game. Eric Hosmer comes into this game hitting .310 and his on-base percentage is at .369. He has 88 hits this season along with 42 runs scored and 48 runs batted in. He's struck out 61 times and has walked 27 times. Lorenzo Cain is hitting .291 and he has an on-base percentage of .337. He has totaled 82 hits so far while scoring 39 runs and he's driven in 39. He has walked 19 times and has struck out 64 times. The Royals have 715 hits, including 130 doubles and 68 home runs. They've stolen 47 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 18 times. Kansas City has walked 168 times this season and they've struck out 544 times as a unit. They've left 511 men on base and have a team OPS of .741. They score 4.09 runs per contest and have scored a total of 307 runs so far this year.

St. Louis comes into this matchup with a 15-21 home record and a 39-36 overall mark. With an earned run average of 3.02, Carlos Martinez has a 7-5 record and a 1.09 WHIP. He has 70 strikeouts over the 89.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 67 hits. He has allowed 6.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.63. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.71 and they have given up 176 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .219 against the Cardinals bullpen while being struck out 214 times and walking 79 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.44 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.64 batters per nine. They are 12th in the league in team earned run average at 4.03. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 624 base knocks and 298 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 69 home runs this year and they give up 0.9 home runs per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a staff has walked 212 hitters and struck out 565. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.26 while their FIP as a staff is 3.86.

As a team, they are batting .262, good for 10th in the league while putting together a .256 average at home. The Cardinals hold a .452 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .333 which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 10th in baseball with 9.05 hits per contest. Matt Carpenter comes into this matchup batting .296 and he has an OBP of .413. He has 76 hits this year along with 52 runs scored and 47 RBI. He's struck out 54 times and has walked on 50 occasions. Yadier Molina is hitting .266 and he has an OBP of .336. He has collected 67 hits so far while he's scored 25 runs and drove in 25. He has earned a walk 25 times and has punched out 34 times. The Cardinals as a unit have 680 base hits, including 147 doubles and 102 homers. They have 17 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 15 times. St. Louis as a team has walked 252 times this year and they have struck out 586 times. They've had 526 men left on base and have an OPS of .786. They score 5.25 runs per game and have totaled 394 runs so far this season.

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 33-37-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 42-33-0 against the run line so far this season

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 42-29-4 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 40-35-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Kansas City Royals

05/26/16 3B Mike Moustakas Knee 60-day DL (5/23); out for season
05/12/16 P Kris Medlen Shoulder 15-day DL (5/11)
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)

St. Louis Cardinals

06/28/16 SS Aledmys Diaz Eye injured last game, doubtful Tuesday vs. Kansas City Royals
06/27/16 1B Matt Adams Back "?" Tuesday vs. Kansas City Royals
05/26/16 P Mitch Harris Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 C Brayan Pena Knee 15-day DL (4/1)
04/04/16 P Jordan Walden Abdominal 15-day DL (3/31)
04/04/16 P Lance Lynn Elbow 60-day DL; out for season

Josh's Pick: Take the Royals

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