Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Kauffman Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Ervin Santana vs. Jason Vargas

The Minnesota Twins visit Kauffman Stadium on Wednesday to play the Kansas City Royals. The probable starters are Ervin Santana for the Twins and Jason Vargas for the Royals. The opening line for this matchup has Minnesota at +113 and Kansas City at -123. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Twins have a 92-56-8 over/under record and a 79-77-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 51% of the time. The Royals are 83-73-0 against the run line and have a 73-75-8 over/under record. They cover the spread 53% of the time.

The Twins head into this matchup with a 56-100 record, including 26-49 on the road. Starting pitcher Ervin Santana has a 7-11 record with an earned run average of 3.37 and a WHIP of 1.23. He has 146 strikeouts over his 176.1 innings pitched and he has given up 164 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8.4 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.76. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 4.67 and they have given up 593 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .273 against the bullpen while being struck out 511 times and walking 190 times this season. As a team, Minnesota has allowed 10.15 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.4 batters per nine. They are 29th in the league in team earned run average at 5.11. The Twins pitchers have collectively given up 1,567 base hits and 789 earned runs. They have allowed 218 home runs this season and they allow 1.4 homers per nine innings as a staff. Minnesota as a pitching staff has walked 461 batters and struck out 1,142. They walk 3 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.46 and their FIP as a unit is 4.61.

As a team, Minnesota is batting .251, good for 21st in the league while putting together a .252 average away from home. The Twins hold a .422 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .316 which is good for 23rd in baseball. They rank 17th in baseball with 8.72 hits per game. Brian Dozier comes into this game hitting .274 and his on-base percentage is at .345. He has 164 hits this season along with 101 runs scored and 99 runs batted in. He's struck out 130 times and has walked 59 times. Joe Mauer is hitting .261 and he has an on-base percentage of .363. He has totaled 129 hits so far while scoring 68 runs and he's driven in 49. He has walked 79 times and has struck out 93 times. The Twins have 1,360 hits, including 277 doubles and 193 home runs. They've stolen 87 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 31 times. Minnesota has walked 488 times this season and they've struck out 1,365 times as a unit. They've left 1,081 men on base and have a team OPS of .738. They score 4.46 runs per contest and have scored a total of 695 runs so far this year.

Kansas City comes into this matchup with a 45-30 home record and a 79-77 overall mark. With an earned run average of 3.86, Jason Vargas has a 0-0 record and a 0.86 WHIP. He has 5 strikeouts over the 7 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 4 hits. He has allowed 5.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.42. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.45 and they have given up 486 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .245 against the Royals bullpen while being struck out 486 times and walking 176 times this season. As a team, Kansas City has allowed 8.99 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.02 batters per nine. They are 18th in the league in team earned run average at 4.22. The Royals pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,382 base knocks and 649 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 201 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 490 hitters and struck out 1,234. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.35 while their FIP as a staff is 4.43.

As a team, they are batting .262, good for 6th in the league while putting together a .274 average at home. The Royals hold a .403 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .313 which is good for 26th in baseball. They rank 6th in baseball with 9.01 hits per contest. Alcides Escobar comes into this matchup batting .266 and he has an OBP of .298. He has 164 hits this year along with 57 runs scored and 53 RBI. He's struck out 92 times and has walked on 27 occasions. Eric Hosmer is hitting .268 and he has an OBP of .329. He has collected 158 hits so far while he's scored 79 runs and drove in 100. He has earned a walk 55 times and has punched out 127 times. The Royals as a unit have 1,403 base hits, including 254 doubles and 145 homers. They have 116 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 33 times. Kansas City as a team has walked 369 times this year and they have struck out 1,173 times. They've had 1,019 men left on base and have an OPS of .715. They score 4.19 runs per game and have totaled 653 runs so far this season.

Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 92-56-8 against the over/under so far this season

The Minnesota Twins are 79-77-0 against the run line so far this season

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 73-75-8 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 83-73-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Minnesota Twins

09/20/16 LF Eddie Rosario Thumb out for season
09/14/16 P Trevor May Back 15-day DL (9/12); out for season
09/10/16 3B Trevor Plouffe Oblique 15-day DL
08/29/16 CF Danny Santana Shoulder 60-day DL (8/29); out for season
08/24/16 DH Byung Ho Park Wrist out for season
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

09/24/16 P Yordano Ventura Back left last game, "?" next start
09/11/16 CF Lorenzo Cain Wrist out indefinitely
07/29/16 P Luke Hochevar Shoulder 60-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); out for season
04/04/16 P Tim Collins Elbow 60-day DL; out for season

Guy's Pick: Take the Twins

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