Chicago Cubs vs Kansas City Royals Predictions, MLB Picks, Betting Tips 8/6/2020

Game: Chicago Cubs vs Kansas City Royals

Date: Thursday, August 6, 2020

Location: Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO

TV: FOX

Odds/Point Spread: Cubs (-158) Royals (+146)

Ian Happ and the Chicago Cubs (9-2, 1st in NL Central) travel to Kauffman Stadium on Thursday where they'll take on the Kansas City Royals (3-9, 5th in AL Central). The Cubs open this contest at -158 while the Royals are coming in at +146. The total has been set at 9.5. The men taking the mound are Tyler Chatwood and Brad Keller.

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

8/2/2020 James Norwood RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 11
8/2/2020 Jose Quintana SP Thumb Expected to be out until at least Aug 14
7/26/2020 Brad Wieck RP Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Aug 5
7/23/2020 Daniel Descalso 2B Ankle Expected to be out until at least Sep 5

Key Kansas City Royals Injuries

8/4/2020 Nicky Lopez 2B Lower Leg Probable for Aug 5
8/3/2020 Randy Rosario RP Arm Expected to be out until at least Aug 7
8/2/2020 Chance Adams RP Undisclosed Expected to be out until at least Aug 10
8/2/2020 Hunter Dozier 3B Illness Expected to be out until at least Aug 14
8/1/2020 Brad Keller SP Not Injury Related Expected to be out until at least Aug 6
7/31/2020 Foster Griffin RP Forearm Out for the season
7/28/2020 Mike Montgomery SP Lat Expected to be out until at least Aug 14
7/16/2020 Kelvin Gutierrez 3B Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 1

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Cubs have a 9-2 overall record this season. Chatwood has pitched in 840 frames and has racked up 616 strikeouts so far in his pro baseball career. His earned run average is 4.33 (404 earned runs allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.501. He has allowed 825 hits (8.8 hits per nine innings) with 436 walks. Chatwood (51-55 career win-loss mark) has earned a FIP of 4.71 while he has gone up against 3,661 batters in the majors. The bullpen has an earned run average of 7.64 and they have given up 33 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .213 against the bullpen and they've struck out 34 hitters and walked 23 batters. As a team, Chicago allows 6.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.3 batters per nine innings. They are 13th in the league in team earned run average at 3.87. The Cubs pitchers collectively have given up 73 base hits and 43 earned runs. They have allowed 13 home runs this season, ranking them 14th in the league. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 37 batters and struck out 92. They have walked 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.10 and their FIP as a unit is 4.14.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team Chicago is hitting .237, good for 16th in the league. The Cubs hold a .454 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .338, which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 15th in MLB with 7.7 hits per game. Ian Happ is hitting .281 with an on-base percentage of .395. He has 9 hits this season in 32 at bats with 6 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .625 and an OPS+ of 179. Kyle Schwarber is hitting .231 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .333. He has totaled 9 hits and he has driven in 6 men in 39 at bats. His OPS+ is 113 while his slugging percentage is at .436. The Cubs have 85 hits, including 19 doubles and 19 home runs. Chicago has walked 43 times so far this season and they have struck out 110 times as a unit. They have left 77 men on base and have a team OPS of .792. They score 5.18 runs per contest and have scored a total of 57 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Keller (16-20 record in his career) has earned a 3.69 earned run average while giving up 8.5 hits per nine innings. He has a SO/W ratio of 1.82 and he has gone up against 1,292 opposing batters so far in his pro baseball career. In his pro baseball career, Keller has allowed 287 base knocks while accumulating 218 strikeouts in 305 innings. He has conceded a total of 125 ER's while earning a WHIP of 1.334 and a FIP of 4.0. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.49 and they have given up 56 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .222 against the Royals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 54 batters and walked 26 opposing hitters. As a team, Kansas City allows 8.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.5 batters per nine innings. They are 17th in the league in team earned run average at 4.37. The Royals pitchers as a team have surrendered 101 base knocks and 50 earned runs this season. They have given up 18 home runs this year, which ranks 3rd in Major League Baseball. Kansas City as a staff has walked 44 hitters and struck out 97 batters. They give up a walk 3.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.5 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.41 while their FIP as a staff is 4.96.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .239, good for 12th in the league. The Royals hold a .388 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .280, which is good for 27th in baseball. They rank 9th in MLB with 8.3 hits per contest. Salvador Perez comes into this matchup batting .265 with an OBP of .280. He has 13 hits this year along with 5 RBI in 49 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .429 with an OPS+ of 100. Whit Merrifield is hitting .286 this season and he has an OBP of .327. He has collected 14 hits in 49 at bats while driving in 9 runs. He has an OPS+ of 141 and a slugging percentage of .531. The Royals as a unit have 99 base hits, including 24 doubles and 12 homers. Kansas City has walked 19 times this year and they have struck out on 105 occasions. They have had 73 men left on base and have an OPS of .668. They have scored 3.67 runs per game and totaled 44 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Cubs (-158)

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