Thursday, July 28, 2016

Globe Life Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Yordano Ventura vs. Cole Hamels

The Kansas City Royals head to Globe Life Park on Thursday to take on the Texas Rangers. The probable pitchers are Yordano Ventura for the Royals and Cole Hamels for the Rangers. The opening line for this game has Kansas City at +159 and Texas at -169. The over/under is 9. The Royals have a 44-50-5 over/under mark and a 50-49-0 run line record, meaning they cover 51% of the time. The Rangers are 56-45-0 against the run line and have a 53-43-5 over/under record. They cover the spread 56% of the time.

The Royals head into this game with a 48-51 record, and they are 17-32 on the road. Starting pitcher Yordano Ventura has a 6-8 record with an ERA of 4.99 and a WHIP of 1.41. He has 80 strikeouts during his 106.1 innings pitched and he has given up 105 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 8.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.73. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 3.37 and they have allowed 313 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .243 against the pen while they've been struck out 317 times and walked 115 times this year. As a unit, Kansas City has given up 8.82 base hits per nine innings while striking out 8.22 hitters per nine. They are 18th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.36. The Royals pitchers have collectively given up 854 base hits and 422 earned runs. They have allowed 133 home runs this season and they allow 1.4 homers per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 318 batters and struck out 796. They walk 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.35 and their FIP as a unit is 4.52.

As a team, Kansas City is hitting .267, good for 5th in the league while putting together a .253 average on the road. The Royals have a .401 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .317 which is good for 20th in the league. They rank 7th in baseball with 9.12 hits per contest. Lorenzo Cain comes into this game hitting .290 and his on-base percentage is at .336. He has 83 hits this season along with 39 runs scored and 39 runs batted in. He's struck out 64 times and has walked 19 times. Eric Hosmer is hitting .288 and he has an on-base percentage of .345. He has totaled 108 hits so far while scoring 50 runs and he's driven in 54. He has walked 33 times and has struck out 81 times. The Royals have 902 hits, including 171 doubles and 85 home runs. They've stolen 56 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 20 times. Kansas City has walked 230 times this season and they've struck out 729 times as a unit. They've left 661 men on base and have a team OPS of .718. They score 3.92 runs per contest and have scored a total of 388 runs so far this year.

Texas comes into this game with a 30-16 home mark and a 58-43 overall record. With an ERA of 2.87, Cole Hamels has a 11-2 record and a 1.29 WHIP. He has 120 strikeouts over the 125.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 111 hits. He has allowed 8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.27. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.85 and they have given up 349 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .272 against the Rangers bullpen while being struck out 253 times and walking 120 times this season. As a team, Texas has allowed 9.21 hits per nine innings while striking out 6.6 batters per nine. They are 23rd in the league in team earned run average at 4.43. The Rangers pitchers as a team have surrendered 920 base knocks and 443 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 130 home runs this year and they give up 1.3 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Texas as a staff has walked 341 hitters and struck out 659. They give up a walk 3.4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 6.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.40 while their FIP as a staff is 4.81.

As a team, they are batting .264, good for 9th in the league while putting together a .280 average at home. The Rangers hold a .429 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322 which is good for 18th in baseball. They rank 11th in baseball with 8.99 hits per contest. Nomar Mazara comes into this matchup batting .282 and he has an OBP of .336. He has 97 hits this year along with 41 runs scored and 40 RBI. He's struck out 63 times and has walked on 27 occasions. Ian Desmond is hitting .307 and he has an OBP of .358. He has collected 122 hits so far while he's scored 71 runs and drove in 60. He has earned a walk 30 times and has punched out 106 times. The Rangers as a unit have 908 base hits, including 154 doubles and 129 homers. They have 59 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 23 times. Texas as a team has walked 269 times this year and they have struck out 754 times. They've had 638 men left on base and have an OPS of .751. They score 4.78 runs per game and have totaled 483 runs so far this season.

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 44-50-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 50-49-0 against the run line so far this season

Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Texas Rangers are 53-43-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Texas Rangers are 56-45-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Kansas City Royals

07/24/16 P Yordano Ventura Ribs "?" for next scheduled start
07/19/16 P Kris Medlen Shoulder 60-day DL (5/11)
06/29/16 CF Lorenzo Cain Hamstring 15-day DL (6/29)
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)

Texas Rangers

07/20/16 DH Prince Fielder Neck 15-day DL (7/19), out for season
07/20/16 RF Shin-Soo Choo Back 15-day DL (7/20)
07/07/16 C Bryan Holaday Thumb 60-day DL (7/5)
06/26/16 P Colby Lewis Back 60-day DL (6/22)
06/22/16 P Derek Holland Shoulder 60-day DL (6/21)
05/28/16 P Tanner Scheppers Knee 60-day DL (3/25)
05/24/16 CF Drew Stubbs Toe 60-day DL (5/23)
04/04/16 RF Josh Hamilton Knee 60-day DL (3/25)

Josh's Pick: Take the Rangers

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