Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Kauffman Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Tanner Roark vs. Chris Young

The Washington Nationals visit Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday to play the Kansas City Royals. The probable starters are Tanner Roark for the Nationals and Chris Young for the Royals. The Nationals have a 8-12-4 over/under record and a 13-11-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 54% of the time. The Royals are 13-11-0 against the run line and have a 5-17-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 54% of the time.

The Nationals head into this matchup with a 17-7 record, including 9-3 on the road. Starting pitcher Tanner Roark has a 2-2 record with an earned run average of 2.03 and a WHIP of 1.19. He has 30 strikeouts over his 31 innings pitched and he has given up 24 hits so far this season. He has allowed 7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.91. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 2.58 and they have given up 52 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .206 against the bullpen while being struck out 69 times and walking 20 times this season. As a team, Washington has allowed 6.87 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.77 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.30. The Nationals pitchers have collectively given up 170 base hits and 57 earned runs. They have allowed 15 home runs this season and they allow 0.6 homers per nine innings as a staff. Washington as a pitching staff has walked 67 batters and struck out 217. They walk 2.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.06 and their FIP as a unit is 2.95.

As a team, Washington is batting .234, good for 24th in the league while putting together a .237 average away from home. The Nationals hold a .394 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .307 which is good for 21st in baseball. They rank 20th in baseball with 7.83 hits per game. Bryce Harper comes into this game hitting .272 and his on-base percentage is at .390. He has 22 hits this season along with 16 runs scored and 24 runs batted in. He's struck out 17 times and has walked 17 times. Yunel Escobar is hitting .286 and he has an on-base percentage of .360. He has totaled 28 hits so far while scoring 11 runs and he's driven in 8. He has walked 10 times and has struck out 10 times. The Nationals have 188 hits, including 36 doubles and 29 home runs. They've stolen 12 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 4 times. Washington has walked 81 times this season and they've struck out 195 times as a unit. They've left 158 men on base and have a team OPS of .701. They score 4.12 runs per contest and have scored a total of 99 runs so far this year.

Kansas City comes into this matchup with a 8-3 home record and a 13-11 overall mark. With an earned run average of 6.12, Chris Young has a 1-4 record and a 1.48 WHIP. He has 26 strikeouts over the 25 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 27 hits. He has allowed 9.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.31. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 2.37 and they have given up 61 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .219 against the Royals bullpen while being struck out 79 times and walking 31 times this season. As a team, Kansas City has allowed 7.71 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.48 batters per nine. They are 7th in the league in team earned run average at 3.44. The Royals pitchers as a team have surrendered 178 base knocks and 79 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 22 home runs this year and they give up 0.9 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a staff has walked 98 hitters and struck out 197. They give up a walk 4.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.5 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.32 while their FIP as a staff is 4.10.

As a team, they are batting .254, good for 12th in the league while putting together a .261 average at home. The Royals hold a .391 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .308 which is good for 20th in baseball. They rank 12th in baseball with 8.5 hits per contest. Eric Hosmer comes into this matchup batting .333 and he has an OBP of .374. He has 31 hits this year along with 11 runs scored and 9 RBI. He's struck out 15 times and has walked on 6 occasions. Mike Moustakas is hitting .258 and he has an OBP of .317. He has collected 24 hits so far while he's scored 11 runs and drove in 11. He has earned a walk 8 times and has punched out 10 times. The Royals as a unit have 204 base hits, including 39 doubles and 21 homers. They have 20 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 5 times. Kansas City as a team has walked 60 times this year and they have struck out 168 times. They've had 167 men left on base and have an OPS of .698. They score 3.38 runs per game and have totaled 81 runs so far this season.

Washington Nationals Betting Trends

The Washington Nationals are 8-12-4 against the over/under so far this season

The Washington Nationals are 13-11-0 against the run line so far this season

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 5-17-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 13-11-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Washington Nationals

04/28/16 P Matt Belisle Calf 15-day DL (4/27)
04/07/16 LF Ben Revere Oblique 15-day DL (4/5)
03/31/16 P Aaron Barrett Elbow 60-day DL (4/1)

Kansas City Royals

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 Nationals

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