Saturday, July 23, 2016

Kauffman Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Cole Hamels vs. Yordano Ventura

The Texas Rangers visit Kauffman Stadium on Saturday to play the Kansas City Royals. The probable starters are Cole Hamels for the Rangers and Yordano Ventura for the Royals. The opening line for this matchup has Texas at -124 and Kansas City at +114. The over/under was set at 8. The Rangers have a 51-40-5 over/under record and a 54-42-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 56% of the time. The Royals are 49-45-0 against the run line and have a 42-47-5 over/under record. They cover the spread 52% of the time.

The Rangers head into this matchup with a 55-41 record, including 26-26 on the road. Starting pitcher Cole Hamels has a 10-2 record with an earned run average of 3.00 and a WHIP of 1.28. He has 116 strikeouts over his 120 innings pitched and he has given up 106 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.33. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 5.02 and they have given up 334 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .274 against the bullpen while being struck out 242 times and walking 114 times this season. As a team, Texas has allowed 9.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 6.58 batters per nine. They are 24th in the league in team earned run average at 4.51. The Rangers pitchers have collectively given up 874 base hits and 428 earned runs. They have allowed 124 home runs this season and they allow 1.3 homers per nine innings as a staff. Texas as a pitching staff has walked 327 batters and struck out 625. They walk 3.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 6.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.41 and their FIP as a unit is 4.85.

As a team, Texas is batting .264, good for 9th in the league while putting together a .250 average away from home. The Rangers hold a .429 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322 which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 11th in baseball with 9.03 hits per game. Nomar Mazara comes into this game hitting .278 and his on-base percentage is at .331. He has 90 hits this season along with 38 runs scored and 37 runs batted in. He's struck out 58 times and has walked 25 times. Ian Desmond is hitting .319 and he has an on-base percentage of .372. He has totaled 120 hits so far while scoring 69 runs and he's driven in 58. He has walked 30 times and has struck out 98 times. The Rangers have 867 hits, including 149 doubles and 120 home runs. They've stolen 56 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 23 times. Texas has walked 252 times this season and they've struck out 711 times as a unit. They've left 605 men on base and have a team OPS of .751. They score 4.82 runs per contest and have scored a total of 463 runs so far this year.

Kansas City comes into this matchup with a 30-15 home record and a 47-47 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.97, Yordano Ventura has a 6-7 record and a 1.41 WHIP. He has 75 strikeouts over the 101.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 102 hits. He has allowed 9.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.67. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.13 and they have given up 288 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .238 against the Royals bullpen while being struck out 304 times and walking 109 times this season. As a team, Kansas City has allowed 8.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.35 batters per nine. They are 13th in the league in team earned run average at 4.28. The Royals pitchers as a team have surrendered 799 base knocks and 393 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 128 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 298 hitters and struck out 767. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.33 while their FIP as a staff is 4.52.

As a team, they are batting .270, good for 3rd in the league while putting together a .290 average at home. The Royals hold a .407 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .319 which is good for 19th in baseball. They rank 5th in baseball with 9.27 hits per contest. Lorenzo Cain comes into this matchup batting .290 and he has an OBP of .336. He has 83 hits this year along with 39 runs scored and 39 RBI. He's struck out 64 times and has walked on 19 occasions. Eric Hosmer is hitting .299 and he has an OBP of .356. He has collected 106 hits so far while he's scored 49 runs and drove in 51. He has earned a walk 32 times and has punched out 77 times. The Royals as a unit have 870 base hits, including 167 doubles and 82 homers. They have 52 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 19 times. Kansas City as a team has walked 216 times this year and they have struck out 688 times. They've had 629 men left on base and have an OPS of .726. They score 4.02 runs per game and have totaled 378 runs so far this season.

Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Texas Rangers are 51-40-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Texas Rangers are 54-42-0 against the run line so far this season

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 42-47-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 49-45-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Texas Rangers

07/20/16 DH Prince Fielder Neck 15-day DL (7/19)
07/20/16 RF Shin-Soo Choo Back 15-day DL (7/20)
07/15/16 P Jake Diekman Finger 15-day DL (7/6)
07/07/16 C Bryan Holaday Thumb 60-day DL (7/5)
06/26/16 P Colby Lewis Back 60-day DL (6/22)
06/22/16 P Derek Holland Shoulder 60-day DL (6/21)
05/28/16 P Tanner Scheppers Knee 60-day DL (3/25)
05/24/16 CF Drew Stubbs Toe 60-day DL (5/23)
04/04/16 RF Josh Hamilton Knee 60-day DL (3/25)

Kansas City Royals

07/19/16 P Kris Medlen Shoulder 60-day DL (5/11)
06/29/16 CF Lorenzo Cain Hamstring 15-day DL (6/29)
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)

Tony's Pick: Take the Rangers

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Tony Sink