Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals 3/31/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Saturday, March 31, 2018

Kauffman Stadium

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Lucas Giolito vs. Ian Kennedy

Kauffman Stadium is the site of the matchup between the Chicago White Sox and the Kansas City Royals on Saturday, March 31, 2018. The probable starting pitchers are Lucas Giolito for the White Sox and Ian Kennedy for the Royals.

Chicago opens at +116 while Kansas City opens at -126. The White Sox had a 76-80-6 over/under record and a 87-75-0 run line mark last year. The Royals were 76-86-0 against the run line and had a 76-80-6 over/under record.

Valuable Chicago White Sox Betting Trends

The Chicago White Sox were 76-80-6 against the over/under last season

The Chicago White Sox were 87-75-0 against the run line last year

Important Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals were 76-80-6 against the over/under last season

The Kansas City Royals were 76-86-0 against the run line last year

Key Chicago White Sox Injuries

03/29/18 P Carlos Rodon Shoulder 10-day DL (03/26)
03/29/18 C Kevan Smith Ankle 10-day DL (03/26)

Key Kansas City Royals Injuries

03/30/18 SS Adalberto Mondesi Shoulder 10-day DL (03/26)
03/30/18 P Nate Karns Chest 10-day DL (03/26)
03/28/18 C Salvador Perez Knee 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 CF Bubba Starling Oblique 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Jesse Hahn Elbow 60-day DL (03/26)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The White Sox had a 67-95 overall record last season. Starting pitcher Lucas Giolito had a 3-3 record with an earned run average of 2.38 and a WHIP of 0.95. He had 34 strikeouts over his 45.1 innings pitched and he gave up 31 hits. He allowed 6.2 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 4.94. The bullpen had an earned run average of 4.28 and they gave up 495 base hits on the year. Teams hit .239 against the bullpen and they struck out 511 hitters while walking 241 batters. As a team, Chicago allowed 8.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.6 batters per nine innings. They were 25th in the league in team earned run average at 4.78. The White Sox pitchers collectively gave up 1,384 base hits and 755 earned runs last year. They allowed 242 home runs last season, ranking them 3rd in the league. Chicago as a pitching staff walked 632 batters and struck out 1,193. They walked 4 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.6 per 9. They had a team WHIP of 1.42 and their FIP as a unit was 5.17.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Chicago hit .256, good for 14th in the league. The White Sox held a .417 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .314, which was good for 25th in baseball. They ranked 14th in MLB with 8.7 hits per game. Tim Anderson hit .257 with an on-base percentage of .276 last year. He had 151 hits last season in 587 at bats with 56 runs batted in. He had a slugging percentage of .402 and an OPS+ of 80. Jose Abreu hit .304 last year and he had an on-base percentage of .354. He totaled 189 hits and he drove in 102 men in 621 at bats. His OPS+ was 140 while his slugging percentage was at .552. The White Sox had 1,412 hits last season, including 256 doubles and 186 home runs. Chicago walked 401 times last year and they struck out 1,397 times as a unit. They left 1,055 men on base and had a team OPS of .731. They scored 4.36 runs per contest and scored a total of 706 runs last year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Kansas City had a 80-82 overall mark last year. With an earned run average of 5.38, Ian Kennedy had a 5-13 record and a 1.33 WHIP. He had 131 strikeouts over the 154 innings he pitched. He also gave up 143 hits. He allowed 8.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 5.61. The bullpen had an earned run average of 4.24 and they gave up 554 base hits on the year. Teams hit .251 against the Royals bullpen. Their relievers struck out 503 batters and walked 246 opposing hitters. As a team, Kansas City allowed 9.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.6 batters per nine innings. They were 20th in the league in team earned run average at 4.61. The Royals pitchers as a team surrendered 1,480 base knocks and 737 earned runs last season. They gave up 196 home runs last year, which ranked 14th in Major League Baseball. Kansas City as a staff walked 519 hitters and struck out 1,216 batters. They gave up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they struck out 7.6 per 9. Their team WHIP was 1.39 while their FIP as a staff was 4.43.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they batted .259, good for 10th in the league. The Royals held a .420 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .311, which was good for 28th in baseball. They ranked 11th in MLB with 8.9 hits per contest. Alex Gordon comes into this matchup after batting .208 with an OBP of .293 last season. He had 99 hits last year along with 45 RBI in 476 AB's. He maintained a slugging percentage of .315 with an OPS+ of 62. Mike Moustakas hit .272 last season and he had an OBP of .314. He collected 151 hits in 555 at bats while driving in 85 runs. He had an OPS+ of 116 and a slugging percentage of .521. The Royals as a unit had 1,436 base hits last season, including 260 doubles and 193 homers. Kansas City walked 390 times last year and they struck out on 1,166 occasions. They left 1,005 men on base and had an OPS of .731. They scored 4.33 runs per game and totaled 702 runs last year.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Royals -126

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