Friday, July 29, 2016

Globe Life Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Edinson Volquez vs. A.J. Griffin

The Kansas City Royals visit Globe Life Park on Friday to play the Texas Rangers. The probable starters are Edinson Volquez for the Royals and A.J. Griffin for the Rangers. The opening line for this matchup has Kansas City at +141 and Texas at -151. The over/under was set at 7. The Royals have a 45-50-5 over/under record and a 51-49-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 51% of the time. The Rangers are 56-46-0 against the run line and have a 54-43-5 over/under record. They cover the spread 55% of the time.

The Royals head into this matchup with a 49-51 record, including 17-32 on the road. Starting pitcher Edinson Volquez has a 8-8 record with an earned run average of 4.56 and a WHIP of 1.39. He has 94 strikeouts over his 124.1 innings pitched and he has given up 126 hits so far this season. He has allowed 9.1 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.11. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.39 and they have given up 317 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .244 against the bullpen while being struck out 321 times and walking 119 times this season. As a team, Kansas City has allowed 8.84 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.23 batters per nine. They are 19th in the league in team earned run average at 4.36. The Royals pitchers have collectively given up 865 base hits and 427 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 324 batters and struck out 805. 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 4.51.

As a team, Kansas City is batting .268, good for 5th in the league while putting together a .253 average away from home. The Royals hold a .402 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .317 which is good for 20th in baseball. They rank 7th in baseball with 9.14 hits per game. 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 .286 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 34 times and has struck out 81 times. The Royals have 913 hits, including 174 doubles and 85 home runs. They've stolen 56 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 20 times. Kansas City has walked 231 times this season and they've struck out 731 times as a unit. They've left 666 men on base and have a team OPS of .718. They score 3.95 runs per contest and have scored a total of 395 runs so far this year.

Texas comes into this matchup with a 30-17 home record and a 58-44 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.06, A.J. Griffin has a 3-1 record and a 1.29 WHIP. He has 53 strikeouts over the 62 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 54 hits. He has allowed 7.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.67. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.92 and they have given up 354 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .273 against the Rangers bullpen while being struck out 256 times and walking 120 times this season. As a team, Texas has allowed 9.21 hits per nine innings while striking out 6.62 batters per nine. They are 24th in the league in team earned run average at 4.45. The Rangers pitchers as a team have surrendered 929 base knocks and 449 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 133 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 668. 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 4.82.

As a team, they are batting .265, good for 9th in the league while putting together a .282 average at home. The Rangers hold a .430 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322 which is good for 18th in baseball. They rank 10th in baseball with 9.03 hits per contest. Nomar Mazara comes into this matchup batting .282 and he has an OBP of .335. He has 98 hits this year along with 41 runs scored and 40 RBI. He's struck out 65 times and has walked on 27 occasions. Ian Desmond is hitting .308 and he has an OBP of .359. He has collected 124 hits so far while he's scored 73 runs and drove in 62. He has earned a walk 30 times and has punched out 107 times. The Rangers as a unit have 921 base hits, including 156 doubles and 130 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 765 times. They've had 645 men left on base and have an OPS of .752. They score 4.77 runs per game and have totaled 487 runs so far this season.

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 45-50-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 51-49-0 against the run line so far this season

Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Texas Rangers are 54-43-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Texas Rangers are 56-46-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Kansas City Royals

07/28/16 P Yordano Ventura Ribs is upgraded to expected to start Thursday vs. Texas Rangers
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)

Tony's Pick: Take the Royals

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