Sunday, August 21, 2016

Kauffman Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Ervin Santana vs. Danny Duffy

The Minnesota Twins visit Kauffman Stadium on Sunday to play the Kansas City Royals. The probable starters are Ervin Santana for the Twins and Danny Duffy for the Royals. The opening line for this matchup has Minnesota at +161 and Kansas City at -171. The over/under was set at 8. The Twins have a 73-42-7 over/under record and a 64-58-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 53% of the time. The Royals are 66-56-0 against the run line and have a 50-65-7 over/under record. They cover the spread 54% of the time.

The Twins head into this matchup with a 49-73 record, including 24-36 on the road. Starting pitcher Ervin Santana has a 6-9 record with an earned run average of 3.43 and a WHIP of 1.21. He has 99 strikeouts over his 133.2 innings pitched and he has given up 129 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.79. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 4.25 and they have given up 443 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .267 against the bullpen while being struck out 394 times and walking 133 times this season. As a team, Minnesota has allowed 10.07 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.36 batters per nine. They are 28th in the league in team earned run average at 4.92. The Twins pitchers have collectively given up 1,214 base hits and 593 earned runs. They have allowed 165 home runs this season and they allow 1.4 homers per nine innings as a staff. Minnesota as a pitching staff has walked 325 batters and struck out 888. They walk 2.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.42 and their FIP as a unit is 4.46.

As a team, Minnesota is batting .257, good for 15th in the league while putting together a .256 average away from home. The Twins hold a .427 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322 which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 11th in baseball with 8.92 hits per game. Joe Mauer comes into this game hitting .279 and his on-base percentage is at .379. He has 117 hits this season along with 62 runs scored and 44 runs batted in. He's struck out 79 times and has walked 68 times. Brian Dozier is hitting .269 and he has an on-base percentage of .343. He has totaled 122 hits so far while scoring 75 runs and he's driven in 74. He has walked 47 times and has struck out 86 times. The Twins have 1,088 hits, including 225 doubles and 147 home runs. They've stolen 78 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 24 times. Minnesota has walked 390 times this season and they've struck out 1,044 times as a unit. They've left 859 men on base and have a team OPS of .750. They score 4.6 runs per contest and have scored a total of 561 runs so far this year.

Kansas City comes into this matchup with a 38-21 home record and a 62-60 overall mark. With an earned run average of 2.73, Danny Duffy has a 10-1 record and a 0.99 WHIP. He has 143 strikeouts over the 132 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 103 hits. He has allowed 7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.23. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.22 and they have given up 355 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .235 against the Royals bullpen while being struck out 386 times and walking 136 times this season. As a team, Kansas City has allowed 8.57 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.25 batters per nine. They are 12th in the league in team earned run average at 4.11. The Royals pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,029 base knocks and 493 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 162 home runs this year and they give up 1.3 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a staff has walked 380 hitters and struck out 990. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.2 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.30 while their FIP as a staff is 4.45.

As a team, they are batting .263, good for 9th in the league while putting together a .279 average at home. The Royals hold a .397 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .313 which is good for 22nd in baseball. They rank 9th in baseball with 8.99 hits per contest. Eric Hosmer comes into this matchup batting .273 and he has an OBP of .329. He has 127 hits this year along with 59 runs scored and 71 RBI. He's struck out 100 times and has walked on 40 occasions. Alcides Escobar is hitting .259 and he has an OBP of .289. He has collected 128 hits so far while he's scored 43 runs and drove in 34. He has earned a walk 22 times and has punched out 68 times. The Royals as a unit have 1,096 base hits, including 201 doubles and 105 homers. They have 75 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 24 times. Kansas City as a team has walked 283 times this year and they have struck out 909 times. They've had 804 men left on base and have an OPS of .710. They score 3.96 runs per game and have totaled 483 runs so far this season.

Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 73-42-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Minnesota Twins are 64-58-0 against the run line so far this season

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 50-65-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 66-56-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Minnesota Twins

08/13/16 P Tommy Milone Bicep 15-day DL (8/11)
08/11/16 P Trevor May Back 15-day DL (8/7)
06/10/16 P Phil Hughes Knee 60-day DL (6/10); out for season
04/13/16 P Glen Perkins Shoulder 60-day DL (4/11); out for season

Kansas City Royals

07/31/16 P Wade Davis Hip 15-day DL (7/30)
07/29/16 P Luke Hochevar Shoulder 15-day DL (7/25)
07/19/16 P Kris Medlen Shoulder 60-day DL (5/11)
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)

Josh's Pick: Take the Twins

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