Thursday, June 30, 2016

Busch Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Chris Young vs. Mike Leake

The Kansas City Royals visit Busch Stadium on Thursday to play the St. Louis Cardinals. The probable starters are Chris Young for the Royals and Mike Leake for the Cardinals. The opening line for this matchup has Kansas City at +161 and St. Louis at -171. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Royals have a 34-37-5 over/under record and a 42-34-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 55% of the time. The Cardinals are 41-35-0 against the run line and have a 43-29-4 over/under record. They cover the spread 54% of the time.

The Royals head into this matchup with a 40-36 record, including 13-25 on the road. Starting pitcher Chris Young has a 2-7 record with an earned run average of 6.54 and a WHIP of 1.57. He has 55 strikeouts over his 53.2 innings pitched and he has given up 61 hits so far this season. He has allowed 10.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 7.48. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 2.73 and they have given up 220 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .227 against the bullpen while being struck out 246 times and walking 86 times this season. As a team, Kansas City has allowed 8.56 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.28 batters per nine. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 4.16. The Royals pitchers have collectively given up 636 base hits and 309 earned runs. They have allowed 100 home runs this season and they allow 1.3 homers per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 248 batters and struck out 615. 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 4.51.

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 .415 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .325 which is good for 16th in baseball. They rank 3rd in baseball with 9.55 hits per game. Eric Hosmer comes into this game hitting .311 and his on-base percentage is at .370. He has 90 hits this season along with 43 runs scored and 48 runs batted in. He's struck out 63 times and has walked 27 times. Lorenzo Cain is hitting .290 and he has an on-base percentage of .336. He has totaled 83 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 725 hits, including 132 doubles and 68 home runs. They've stolen 47 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 18 times. Kansas City has walked 170 times this season and they've struck out 550 times as a unit. They've left 520 men on base and have a team OPS of .739. They score 4.09 runs per contest and have scored a total of 311 runs so far this year.

St. Louis comes into this matchup with a 15-21 home record and a 40-36 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.25, Mike Leake has a 5-5 record and a 1.24 WHIP. He has 59 strikeouts over the 91 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 97 hits. He has allowed 9.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.52. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.66 and they have given up 178 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .218 against the Cardinals bullpen while being struck out 216 times and walking 80 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.47 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.62 batters per nine. They are 12th in the league in team earned run average at 4.02. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 635 base knocks and 301 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 214 hitters and struck out 571. 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 3.85.

As a team, they are batting .262, good for 11th in the league while putting together a .256 average at home. The Cardinals hold a .451 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .334 which is good for 7th in baseball. They rank 10th in baseball with 9.05 hits per contest. Matt Carpenter comes into this matchup batting .300 and he has an OBP of .420. He has 78 hits this year along with 54 runs scored and 49 RBI. He's struck out 55 times and has walked on 52 occasions. Yadier Molina is hitting .262 and he has an OBP of .331. He has collected 67 hits so far while he's scored 26 runs and drove in 26. He has earned a walk 25 times and has punched out 34 times. The Cardinals as a unit have 689 base hits, including 150 doubles and 103 homers. They have 18 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 15 times. St. Louis as a team has walked 257 times this year and they have struck out 592 times. They've had 533 men left on base and have an OPS of .786. They score 5.29 runs per game and have totaled 402 runs so far this season.

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 34-37-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 42-34-0 against the run line so far this season

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 43-29-4 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 41-35-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Kansas City Royals

06/29/16 CF Lorenzo Cain Hamstring is downgraded to doubtful Wednesday vs. St. Louis Cardinals
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

06/29/16 SS Aledmys Diaz Eye is downgraded to doubtful Wednesday vs. Kansas City Royals
05/26/16 P Mitch Harris Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
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

Tony's Pick: Take the Royals

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