Saturday, July 30, 2016

Globe Life Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Ian Kennedy vs. Martin Perez

The Kansas City Royals head to Globe Life Park on Saturday to take on the Texas Rangers. The probable pitchers are Ian Kennedy for the Royals and Martin Perez for the Rangers. The opening line for this game has Kansas City at +124 and Texas at -134. The over/under is 9.5. The Royals have a 45-51-5 over/under mark and a 52-49-0 run line record, meaning they cover 52% of the time. The Rangers are 56-47-0 against the run line and have a 54-44-5 over/under record. They cover the spread 54% of the time.

The Royals head into this game with a 49-52 record, and they are 17-33 on the road. Starting pitcher Ian Kennedy has a 6-9 record with an ERA of 4.41 and a WHIP of 1.23. He has 117 strikeouts during his 114.1 innings pitched and he has given up 102 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.33. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 3.39 and they have allowed 317 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .244 against the pen while they've been struck out 321 times and walked 119 times this year. As a unit, Kansas City has given up 8.8 base hits per nine innings while striking out 8.21 hitters per nine. They are 19th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.35. The Royals pitchers have collectively given up 869 base hits and 430 earned runs. They have allowed 136 home runs this season and they allow 1.4 homers per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 325 batters and struck out 811. They walk 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.34 and their FIP as a unit is 4.53.

As a team, Kansas City is hitting .267, good for 5th in the league while putting together a .251 average on the road. The Royals have a .401 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .316 which is good for 21st in the league. They rank 8th in baseball with 9.11 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 .283 and he has an on-base percentage of .341. 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 83 times. The Royals have 919 hits, including 175 doubles and 86 home runs. They've stolen 59 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 20 times. Kansas City has walked 233 times this season and they've struck out 743 times as a unit. They've left 671 men on base and have a team OPS of .717. They score 3.93 runs per contest and have scored a total of 397 runs so far this year.

Texas comes into this game with a 31-17 home mark and a 59-44 overall record. With an ERA of 4.38, Martin Perez has a 7-7 record and a 1.47 WHIP. He has 58 strikeouts over the 125.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 132 hits. He has allowed 9.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.85. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.90 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 121 times this season. As a team, Texas has allowed 9.18 hits per nine innings while striking out 6.67 batters per nine. They are 22nd in the league in team earned run average at 4.43. The Rangers pitchers as a team have surrendered 935 base knocks and 451 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 134 home runs this year and they give up 1.3 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Texas as a staff has walked 343 hitters and struck out 680. They give up a walk 3.4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 6.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.39 while their FIP as a staff is 4.80.

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 .430 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .321 which is good for 18th in baseball. They rank 10th in baseball with 8.98 hits per contest. Nomar Mazara comes into this matchup batting .279 and he has an OBP of .332. He has 98 hits this year along with 41 runs scored and 40 RBI. He's struck out 66 times and has walked on 27 occasions. Ian Desmond is hitting .307 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 31 times and has punched out 107 times. The Rangers as a unit have 925 base hits, including 156 doubles and 133 homers. They have 59 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 24 times. Texas as a team has walked 270 times this year and they have struck out 771 times. They've had 646 men left on base and have an OPS of .751. They score 4.76 runs per game and have totaled 490 runs so far this season.

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 45-51-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 52-49-0 against the run line so far this season

Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Texas Rangers are 54-44-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Texas Rangers are 56-47-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Kansas City Royals

07/29/16 P Luke Hochevar Shoulder 15-day DL (7/25)
07/29/16 C Salvador Perez Illness "?" Friday 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 Rangers

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