Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Kauffman Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Michael Wacha vs. Yordano Ventura

The St. Louis Cardinals visit Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday to play the Kansas City Royals. The probable starters are Michael Wacha for the Cardinals and Yordano Ventura for the Royals. The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at +105 and Kansas City at -115. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Cardinals have a 42-29-3 over/under record and a 40-34-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 54% of the time. The Royals are 41-33-0 against the run line and have a 33-37-4 over/under record. They cover the spread 55% of the time.

The Cardinals head into this matchup with a 39-35 record, including 24-14 on the road. Starting pitcher Michael Wacha has a 3-7 record with an earned run average of 4.41 and a WHIP of 1.36. He has 75 strikeouts over his 87.2 innings pitched and he has given up 87 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.59. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.77 and they have given up 174 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .219 against the bullpen while being struck out 212 times and walking 79 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.38 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.61 batters per nine. They are 11th in the league in team earned run average at 4.00. The Cardinals pitchers have collectively given up 612 base hits and 292 earned runs. They have allowed 69 home runs this season and they allow 0.9 homers per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 211 batters and struck out 556. They walk 2.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.25 and their FIP as a unit is 3.88.

As a team, St. Louis is batting .263, good for 10th in the league while putting together a .269 average away from home. The Cardinals hold a .452 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .335 which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 9th in baseball with 9.09 hits per game. Matt Carpenter comes into this game hitting .300 and his on-base percentage is at .419. He has 76 hits this season along with 52 runs scored and 47 runs batted in. He's struck out 53 times and has walked 50 times. Yadier Molina is hitting .261 and he has an on-base percentage of .332. He has totaled 65 hits so far while scoring 25 runs and he's driven in 25. He has walked 25 times and has struck out 34 times. The Cardinals have 674 hits, including 144 doubles and 101 home runs. They've stolen 17 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 14 times. St. Louis has walked 252 times this season and they've struck out 578 times as a unit. They've left 524 men on base and have a team OPS of .788. They score 5.3 runs per contest and have scored a total of 392 runs so far this year.

Kansas City comes into this matchup with a 26-10 home record and a 39-35 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.54, Yordano Ventura has a 6-4 record and a 1.42 WHIP. He has 59 strikeouts over the 79.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 77 hits. He has allowed 8.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.76. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 2.78 and they have given up 218 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .228 against the Royals bullpen while being struck out 244 times and walking 84 times this season. As a team, Kansas City has allowed 8.59 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.31 batters per nine. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 4.15. The Royals pitchers as a team have surrendered 621 base knocks and 300 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 98 home runs this year and they give up 1.4 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a staff has walked 243 hitters and struck out 601. They give up a walk 3.4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.3 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.33 while their FIP as a staff is 4.49.

As a team, they are batting .277, good for 2nd in the league while putting together a .292 average at home. The Royals hold a .416 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .324 which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 3rd in baseball with 9.5 hits per contest. Eric Hosmer comes into this matchup batting .310 and he has an OBP of .368. He has 87 hits this year along with 40 runs scored and 46 RBI. He's struck out 59 times and has walked on 26 occasions. Lorenzo Cain is hitting .288 and he has an OBP of .334. He has collected 80 hits so far while he's scored 37 runs and drove in 38. He has earned a walk 19 times and has punched out 64 times. The Royals as a unit have 703 base hits, including 128 doubles and 68 homers. They have 47 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 18 times. Kansas City as a team has walked 167 times this year and they have struck out 535 times. They've had 504 men left on base and have an OPS of .741. They score 4.07 runs per game and have totaled 301 runs so far this season.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 42-29-3 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 40-34-0 against the run line so far this season

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 33-37-4 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 41-33-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

St. Louis Cardinals

06/26/16 1B Matt Adams Back "?" Monday vs. Kansas City Royals
05/26/16 P Mitch Harris Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 C Brayan Pena Knee 15-day DL (4/1)
04/04/16 P Jordan Walden Abdominal 15-day DL (3/31)
04/04/16 P Lance Lynn Elbow 60-day DL; out for season

Kansas City Royals

05/26/16 3B Mike Moustakas Knee 60-day DL (5/23); out for season
05/12/16 P Kris Medlen Shoulder 15-day DL (5/11)
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)

Tony's Pick: Take the Cardinals

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