Sunday, April 3, 2016

Kauffman Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Matt Harvey vs. Edinson Volquez

The New York Mets visit Kauffman Stadium on Sunday to play the Kansas City Royals. The probable starters are Matt Harvey for the Mets and Edinson Volquez for the Royals. The opening line for this matchup has New York at -110 and Kansas City at +100. The over/under was set at 7. The Mets had a 92-77-7 over/under record last season and a 91-84-0 run line mark, meaning they covered 52% 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 Mets head into this matchup coming off a 90 - 72 season, including 41-40 on the road. Starting pitcher Matt Harvey had a 13 - 8 record with an earned run average of 2.71 and a WHIP of 1.02. He had 188 strikeouts over his 189.1 innings pitched and he also gave up 156 hits over that time period. He allowed 7.4 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 3.05. The bullpen had an earned run average of 3.48 and they gave up 398 base hits on the year. Teams hit .230 against the bullpen while being struck out 446 times and walking 170 times last season. As a team, New York allowed 8.19 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.27 batters per nine. They were 4th in the league in team earned run average at 3.44. The Mets pitchers collectively gave up 1,341 base hits and 557 earned runs last year. They allowed 152 home runs last season and they allowed 0.9 homers per nine innings as a staff. New York as a pitching staff walked 383 batters and struck out 1,337. They walked 2.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.2 per 9. They had a team WHIP of 1.18 and their FIP as a unit was 3.53.

As a team, New York batted .243, good for 28th in the league while putting together a .251 average away from home. The Mets held a .400 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .310 which was good for 22nd in baseball. They ranked 27th in baseball with 8.29 hits per game. Curtis Granderson hit .259 last season and his on-base percentage was at .364. He had 150 hits last season along with 98 runs scored and 70 runs batted in. He struck out 151 times and walked 91 times. Yoenis Cespedes hit .291 and he had an on-base percentage of .328 last year. He totaled 184 hits while scoring 101 runs and he drove in 105. He walked 33 times and struck out 141 times. The Mets had 1,351 hits, including 295 doubles, 17 triples, and 177 home runs. They stole 51 bases while they were thrown out stealing 25 times. New York walked 488 times last season and they struck out 1,290 times as a unit. They left 1,098 men on base and had a team OPS of .712. They scored 4.22 runs per contest and scored a total of 683 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.

New York Mets Betting Trends

The New York Mets were 92-77-7 against the over/under last season

The New York Mets were 91-84-0 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

New York Mets

03/31/16 P Jenrry Mejia Suspension out indefinitely
03/30/16 P Matt Harvey Blood Clot expected to start Sunday vs. Kansas City Royals

Kansas City Royals

03/31/16 P Jason Vargas Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list
03/31/16 P Tim Collins Elbow out for season

Guy's Pick: Take the Mets

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