Thursday, April 6, 2017

Target Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jason Hammel vs. Kyle Gibson

The Kansas City Royals visit Target Field on Thursday, April 6, 2017 to play the Minnesota Twins. The probable starters are Jason Hammel for the Royals and Kyle Gibson for the Twins.

The opening line for this matchup has Kansas City at -105 and Minnesota at -105. The Royals had a 75-78-9 over/under record and a 85-77-0 run line mark last season, meaning they covered 53% of the time. The Twins were 83-79-0 against the run line and had a 95-59-8 over/under record. They covered the spread 51% of the time.

Valuable Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals were 75-78-9 against the over/under last season

The Kansas City Royals were 85-77-0 against the run line last season

Important Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins were 95-59-8 against the over/under last season

The Minnesota Twins were 83-79-0 against the run line last season

Key Kansas City Royals Injuries

04/02/17 3B Hunter Dozier Oblique 60-day DL (4/2)
04/02/17 LF Jorge Soler Oblique 10-day DL (3/30)
03/31/17 P Brian Flynn Ribs 60-day DL

Key Minnesota Twins Injuries

04/03/17 P Ryan O'Rourke Elbow 10-day DL (3/30)
04/01/17 SS Ehire Adrianza Oblique 10-day DL (3/30)
03/31/17 P Glen Perkins Shoulder 60-day DL (4/2)
03/11/17 P Trevor May Arm out indefinitely

Useful Pitching Statistics

Starting pitcher Jason Hammel had a 15-10 record with an earned run average of 3.83 and a WHIP of 1.21. He had 144 strikeouts over his 166.2 innings pitched and he gave up 148 hits last season. He allowed 8 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 4.48. The bullpen last year had an earned run average of 3.45 and they gave up 505 base hits on the year. Teams hit .244 against the bullpen while being struck out 509 times and walking 188 times last season. As a team, Kansas City allowed 8.96 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.04 batters per nine innings. They were 17th in the league in team earned run average at 4.21. The Royals pitchers collectively gave up 1,433 base hits and 674 earned runs. They allowed 206 home runs last season and they allowed 1.3 homers per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a pitching staff walked 517 batters and struck out 1,287. They walked 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 8 per 9. They had a team WHIP of 1.35 and their FIP as a unit was 4.42.

Our handicappers are experts on MLB betting. Check out our MLB betting tips today.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Kansas City batted .261, good for 7th in the league while putting together a .252 average away from home. The Royals held a .400 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .312 which was good for 26th in baseball. They ranked 6th in baseball with 8.96 hits per game. Eric Hosmer is coming off a 2016 season in which he hit .266 with an on-base percentage of .328. He had 161 hits last season along with 80 runs scored and 104 runs batted in. He struck out 132 times and walked 57 times. Alcides Escobar hit .261 last year and he had an on-base percentage of .292. He totaled 166 hits while scoring 57 runs and he drove in 55. He walked 27 times and struck out on 96 occasions. The Royals had 1,450 hits, including 264 doubles and 147 home runs. They stole 121 bases and were thrown out stealing 35 times. Kansas City walked 382 times last season and they struck out 1,224 times as a unit. They left 1,049 men on base and had a team OPS of .712. They scored 4.17 runs per contest and scored a total of 675 runs last year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

With an earned run average of 5.07, Kyle Gibson had a 6-11 record and a 1.56 WHIP last season. He had 104 strikeouts over the 147.1 innings he pitched during which he gave up 175 hits. He allowed 10.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 4.7. Last season the bullpen had an earned run average of 4.63 and they gave up 613 base hits on the year. Teams hit .271 against the Twins bullpen while being struck out 536 times and walking 198 times last season. As a team, Minnesota allowed 10.09 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.43 batters per nine innings. They were 29th in the league in team earned run average at 5.08. The Twins pitchers as a team surrendered 1,617 base knocks and 814 earned runs last season. They gave up 221 home runs last year and they gave up 1.4 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Minnesota as a staff walked 479 hitters and struck out 1,191. They gave up a walk 3 times per 9 innings while they struck out 7.4 per 9. Their team WHIP was 1.45 while their FIP as a staff was 4.57.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they batted .251, good for 21st in the league while putting together a .251 average at home. The Twins held a .421 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .316 which was good for 22nd in baseball. They ranked 17th in baseball with 8.7 hits per contest. Joe Mauer comes into this matchup after batting .261 with an OBP of .363. He had 129 hits last year along with 68 runs scored and 49 RBI. He struck out 93 times and walked on 79 occasions. Brian Dozier hit .268 in 2016 and he had an OBP of .340. He collected 165 hits while scoring 104 runs and driving in 99. He earned a walk 61 times and punched out 138 times. The Twins as a unit had 1,409 base hits, including 288 doubles and 200 homers. They had 91 stolen bases and were thrown out 32 times. Minnesota as a team walked 513 times last year and they struck out 1,426 times. They had 1,124 men left on base and had an OPS of .738. They scored 4.46 runs per game and totaled 722 runs last season.

Who will win tonight's Royals/Twins MLB game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Twins -105

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 Josh Schonwald