Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Kauffman Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Drew Smyly vs. Dillon Gee

The Tampa Bay Rays visit Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday to play the Kansas City Royals. The probable starters are Drew Smyly for the Rays and Dillon Gee for the Royals. The opening line for this matchup has Tampa Bay at -123 and Kansas City at +113. The over/under was set at 8. The Rays have a 19-24-5 over/under record and a 23-25-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 48% of the time. The Royals are 27-22-0 against the run line and have a 20-26-3 over/under record. They cover the spread 55% of the time.

The Rays head into this matchup with a 22-26 record, including 11-11 on the road. Starting pitcher Drew Smyly has a 2-6 record with an earned run average of 3.92 and a WHIP of 1.05. He has 67 strikeouts over his 62 innings pitched and he has given up 50 hits so far this season. He has allowed 7.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.03. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.85 and they have given up 131 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .238 against the bullpen while being struck out 130 times and walking 45 times this season. As a team, Tampa Bay has allowed 8.14 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.54 batters per nine. They are 13th in the league in team earned run average at 3.94. The Rays pitchers have collectively given up 384 base hits and 186 earned runs. They have allowed 65 home runs this season and they allow 1.4 homers per nine innings as a staff. Tampa Bay as a pitching staff has walked 132 batters and struck out 403. They walk 2.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.5 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.22 and their FIP as a unit is 4.19.

As a team, Tampa Bay is batting .238, good for 22nd in the league while putting together a .259 average away from home. The Rays hold a .429 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .308 which is good for 22nd in baseball. They rank 23rd in baseball with 8 hits per game. Evan Longoria comes into this game hitting .254 and his on-base percentage is at .301. He has 49 hits this season along with 26 runs scored and 25 runs batted in. He's struck out 50 times and has walked 13 times. Steven Souza is hitting .258 and he has an on-base percentage of .320. He has totaled 42 hits so far while scoring 21 runs and he's driven in 19. He has walked 14 times and has struck out 64 times. The Rays have 384 hits, including 87 doubles and 70 home runs. They've stolen 22 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 12 times. Tampa Bay has walked 142 times this season and they've struck out 453 times as a unit. They've left 322 men on base and have a team OPS of .737. They score 4.15 runs per contest and have scored a total of 199 runs so far this year.

Kansas City comes into this matchup with a 16-7 home record and a 27-22 overall mark. With an earned run average of 3.86, Dillon Gee has a 1-2 record and a 1.46 WHIP. He has 32 strikeouts over the 35 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 38 hits. He has allowed 9.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.17. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 2.42 and they have given up 144 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .226 against the Royals bullpen while being struck out 172 times and walking 56 times this season. As a team, Kansas City has allowed 8.52 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.25 batters per nine. They are 10th in the league in team earned run average at 3.86. The Royals pitchers as a team have surrendered 408 base knocks and 185 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 51 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a staff has walked 168 hitters and struck out 395. They give up a walk 3.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.2 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.34 while their FIP as a staff is 4.12.

As a team, they are batting .267, good for 6th in the league while putting together a .261 average at home. The Royals hold a .402 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .317 which is good for 19th in baseball. They rank 7th in baseball with 9.1 hits per contest. Eric Hosmer comes into this matchup batting .319 and he has an OBP of .368. He has 60 hits this year along with 27 runs scored and 30 RBI. He's struck out 41 times and has walked on 15 occasions. Alcides Escobar is hitting .268 and he has an OBP of .299. He has collected 57 hits so far while he's scored 20 runs and drove in 14. He has earned a walk 9 times and has punched out 31 times. The Royals as a unit have 446 base hits, including 86 doubles and 41 homers. They have 36 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 10 times. Kansas City as a team has walked 113 times this year and they have struck out 349 times. They've had 326 men left on base and have an OPS of .718. They score 3.96 runs per game and have totaled 194 runs so far this season.

Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Rays are 19-24-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Tampa Bay Rays are 23-25-0 against the run line so far this season

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 20-26-3 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 27-22-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Tampa Bay Rays

05/23/16 CF Kevin Kiermaier Hand 15-day DL (5/22)
05/14/16 2B Logan Forsythe Shoulder 15-day DL (5/10)
04/10/16 P Chase Whitley Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
04/01/16 P Alex Cobb Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
03/31/16 P Brad Boxberger Abdominal 15-day DL (3/25)

Kansas City Royals

05/29/16 C Salvador Perez Knee expected to miss 7-10 days
05/27/16 DH Kendrys Morales Finger out indefinitely
05/26/16 3B Mike Moustakas Knee 15-day DL (5/23); out for season
05/23/16 LF Alex Gordon Wrist 15-day DL (5/22)
05/12/16 P Kris Medlen Shoulder 15-day DL (5/10)
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 Royals

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