Sunday, April 10, 2016

Kauffman Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Ricky Nolasco vs. Edinson Volquez

The Minnesota Twins visit Kauffman Stadium on Sunday to play the Kansas City Royals. The probable starters are Ricky Nolasco for the Twins and Edinson Volquez for the Royals. The opening line for this matchup has Minnesota at +146 and Kansas City at -156. The over/under was set at 8. The Twins had a 72-78-12 over/under record last season and a 94-68-0 run line mark, meaning they covered 58% of the time. The Royals were 99-79-0 against the run line and had a 84-80-14 over/under record. They covered the spread 56% of the time.

The Twins head into this matchup coming off a 83 - 79 season, including 37-44 on the road. Starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco had a 5 - 2 record with an earned run average of 6.75 and a WHIP of 1.71. He had 35 strikeouts over his 37.1 innings pitched and he also gave up 50 hits over that time period. He allowed 12.1 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 3.51. The bullpen had an earned run average of 3.95 and they gave up 501 base hits on the year. Teams hit .249 against the bullpen while being struck out 392 times and walking 164 times last season. As a team, Minnesota allowed 9.39 hits per nine innings while striking out 6.52 batters per nine. They were 19th in the league in team earned run average at 4.07. The Twins pitchers collectively gave up 1,506 base hits and 653 earned runs last year. They allowed 163 home runs last season and they allowed 1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Minnesota as a pitching staff walked 413 batters and struck out 1,046. They walked 2.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 6.5 per 9. They had a team WHIP of 1.33 and their FIP as a unit was 4.10.

As a team, Minnesota batted .247, good for 26th in the league while putting together a .231 average away from home. The Twins held a .399 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .305 which was good for 28th in baseball. They ranked 25th in baseball with 8.33 hits per game. Brian Dozier hit .236 last season and his on-base percentage was at .307. He had 148 hits last season along with 101 runs scored and 77 runs batted in. He struck out 148 times and walked 61 times. Joe Mauer hit .265 and he had an on-base percentage of .338 last year. He totaled 157 hits while scoring 69 runs and he drove in 66. He walked 67 times and struck out 112 times. The Twins had 1,349 hits, including 277 doubles, 44 triples, and 156 home runs. They stole 70 bases while they were thrown out stealing 38 times. Minnesota walked 439 times last season and they struck out 1,264 times as a unit. They left 993 men on base and had a team OPS of .704. They scored 4.3 runs per contest and scored a total of 696 runs last season.

Kansas City comes into this matchup after having a 51-30 home record and a 95 - 67 overall mark last year. With an earned run average last season of 3.55, Edinson Volquez will come into this game after holding a 13 - 9 record and a 1.31 WHIP. He had 155 strikeouts over the 200.1 innings he pitched during which he gave up 190 hits. He allowed 8.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 3.82. The bullpen had an earned run average of 2.72 and they gave up 419 base hits last year. Teams hit .211 against the Royals bullpen while being struck out 502 times and walking 191 times last season. As a team, Kansas City allowed 8.43 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.42 batters per nine. They were 11th in the league in team earned run average at 3.77. The Royals pitchers as a team surrendered 1,372 base knocks and 601 earned runs last season. They gave up 155 home runs last year and they gave up 1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a staff walked 489 hitters and struck out 1,160. They gave up a walk 3 times per 9 innings while they struck out 7.2 per 9. Their team WHIP was 1.28 while their FIP as a staff was 4.04.

As a team, they hit .268, good for 2nd in the league while putting together a .277 average at home. The Royals held a .413 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322 which was good for 11th in baseball. They ranked 3rd in baseball with 9.23 hits per contest. Eric Hosmer batted .297 last season and he had an OBP of .363. He had 178 hits last year along with 98 runs scored and 93 RBI. He struck out 108 times and walked on 61 occasions. Lorenzo Cain hit .307 and he had an OBP of .361. He collected 169 hits last year while he scored 101 runs and drove in 72. He earned a walk 37 times and punched out 98 times. The Royals as a unit had 1,497 base hits last year, including 300 doubles, 42 triples, and 139 homers. They had 104 stolen bases while they were thrown out 34 times. Kansas City as a team walked 383 times last year and they struck out 973 times. They had 1,079 men left on base and had an OPS of .734. They scored 4.47 runs per game and totaled 724 runs last season.

Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins were 72-78-12 against the over/under last season

The Minnesota Twins were 94-68-0 against the run line last season

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals were 84-80-14 against the over/under last season

The Kansas City Royals were 99-79-0 against the run line last season

Injuries to Watch

Minnesota Twins

No key injuries to report

Kansas City Royals

04/04/16 RF Jarrod Dyson Oblique Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)
04/04/16 P Tim Collins Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list; out for season
03/31/16 P Jason Vargas Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list

Tony's Pick: Take the Twins

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