Kansas City Royals vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, 8/20/2023 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Kansas City Royals vs Chicago Cubs

Date: Sunday, August 20, 2023

Location: Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL

TV: Marquee

Wrigley Field is where the Chicago Cubs (62-58) will attempt to beat the Kansas City Royals (39-84) on Sunday. The pitchers taking the mound are Jordan Lyles and Kyle Hendricks.

Kansas City is slugging .396 and have struck out 1,053 times, while being walked on 297 occasions. They have accounted for 475 runs batted in as well as 1,010 hits for the season, while their average at the plate sits at .244. The Royals have hit 203 two-baggers as a squad and have hit 120 baseballs out of the stadium. They have racked up 494 runs scored and hold an OBP of .301. As a unit, the Kansas City Royals are putting up 4.0 runs per game, which puts them at 28th in MLB.

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Their K/BB ratio is 2.24 and their pitching staff has a team WHIP of 1.42. Royals pitchers have relinquished 152 home runs and also 658 total runs (28th in MLB). Kansas City has yielded 1,093 hits (9.2 per 9 innings) and also 619 earned runs. The Royals have compiled a team earned run average of 5.20 on the year (28th in the league), and they have struck out 957 batters. They have walked 428 opposing batters and their FIP is 4.68 as a unit for the season.

The Royals have dispatched 402 relief pitchers to the mound so far this year. The relief pitchers have inherited 134 runners over the course of the season and 40.3% of those players ended up crossing the plate. They have 17 saves this year and have missed out on 19 of their 36 save chances. The Royals relief pitchers have a save percentage of 47.2% and has stepped onto the mound in 83 save situations. The bullpen have tallied 47 holds on the year (28th in the league). Royals pitchers have entered the game with opponents on base 84 times and also have had 102 appearances in high leverage situations.

The Kansas City Royals have earned a total of 3,216 putouts for the season, in addition to 1,053 assists and 58 errors. Their fielding rate sits at .987 which has them sitting 12th in baseball, and have accumulated 93 double plays. The Royals have turned 68.3% of balls hit into play into outs out of 9,648 innings, which ranks them 23rd in baseball.

Lyles has taken the ball for 1,457 innings and has earned 1,113 punch outs in his MLB career. Lyles (69-103 career win-loss mark) sits with a FIP of 4.75 while he has gone up against 6,378 batters in the majors. His earned run average is 5.21 (844 earned runs allowed) and his WHIP is 1.417. He has allowed 1,583 base knocks (9.8 hits per 9 innings) and has 482 walks.

The Chicago Cubs have tallied an OBP of .332 in addition to a team batting average of .254 for the year. They have struck out on 1,079 instances (10th in the league) and are sitting with 1,035 base hits. Chicago has recorded 147 home runs for the season as well as 580 RBIs. The Cubs hold a team slugging percentage of .420 and they earn 5.03 runs per game (5th in the league). They have hit 193 two-baggers, while taking a walk 432 times as well as scoring 604 runs.

The Cubs are sitting with a team WHIP of 1.285 and have a FIP of 4.24 as a unit this year. Their K/BB ratio comes in at 8.40 (990 strikeouts vs 375 bases on balls). They are sitting at 13th in the league as a staff in total hits allowed with 988. They have given up 135 homers and they surrender 4.59 runs per 9 innings (17th in MLB). The Chicago pitching staff have surrendered 541 runs this season and come in with a team ERA of 4.18 (493 earned runs relinquished).

With 91 save situations, the Cubs have 58 holds and 10 blown saves. Chicago has called on relievers to step onto the mound in 32 save opportunities and they have converted 22 saves. Their relief pitchers have stepped onto the mound 94 times in high leverage situations and on 94 occasions with runners on base. Chicago relievers have an inherited score rate of 28.6% out of 161 inherited base runners. They sit at 7th in MLB holding a save percentage of 68.8%, and they have dispatched 371 relief pitchers to the mound so far this season.

The Chicago Cubs have turned 104 double plays and have a fielding rate of .986 (16th in the majors). The Cubs have racked up 1,100 assists, 62 errors and have earned 3,183 putouts on the campaign. Out of their 9,549 innings on the field, the Cubs have accumulated a defensive efficiency of 69.7% (11th in professional baseball).

During his career, Hendricks has surrendered 1,306 hits while he has tallied 1,140 punch outs in 1,405 innings pitched. Hendricks (91-67 career record) has earned a 3.49 ERA while surrendering 8.4 hits per nine innings. He has conceded 545 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.150 and a FIP of 3.8. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 3.68 and he has faced 5,756 opposing batters so far in his pro baseball career.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Chicago

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