Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Progressive Field

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Probable Pitchers: Edinson Volquez vs. Josh Tomlin

The Kansas City Royals head to Progressive Field on Tuesday to take on the Cleveland Indians. The probable pitchers are Edinson Volquez for the Royals and Josh Tomlin for the Indians. The opening line for this game has Kansas City at +160 and Cleveland at -170. The over/under is 8.5. The Royals have a 69-72-8 over/under mark and a 78-71-0 run line record, meaning they cover 52% of the time. The Indians are 70-79-0 against the run line and have a 74-65-10 over/under record. They cover the spread 47% of the time.

The Royals head into this game with a 76-73 record, and they are 32-43 on the road. Starting pitcher Edinson Volquez has a 10-11 record with an ERA of 5.40 and a WHIP of 1.53. He has 128 strikeouts during his 175 innings pitched and he has given up 202 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 10.4 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.45. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 3.44 and they have allowed 462 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .244 against the pen while they've been struck out 467 times and walked 165 times this year. As a unit, Kansas City has given up 8.9 base hits per nine innings while striking out 8.06 hitters per nine. They are 18th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.19. The Royals pitchers have collectively given up 1,310 base hits and 617 earned runs. They have allowed 191 home runs this season and they allow 1.3 homers per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 462 batters and struck out 1,186. They walk 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.34 and their FIP as a unit is 4.39.

As a team, Kansas City is hitting .261, good for 8th in the league while putting together a .250 average on the road. The Royals have a .399 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .313 which is good for 25th in the league. They rank 8th in baseball with 8.95 hits per contest. Eric Hosmer comes into this game hitting .271 and his on-base percentage is at .335. He has 153 hits this season along with 76 runs scored and 95 runs batted in. He's struck out 121 times and has walked 55 times. Alcides Escobar is hitting .269 and he has an on-base percentage of .302. He has totaled 159 hits so far while scoring 55 runs and he's driven in 49. He has walked 27 times and has struck out 87 times. The Royals have 1,333 hits, including 244 doubles and 134 home runs. They've stolen 107 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 31 times. Kansas City has walked 358 times this season and they've struck out 1,110 times as a unit. They've left 976 men on base and have a team OPS of .712. They score 4.14 runs per contest and have scored a total of 617 runs so far this year.

Cleveland comes into this game with a 49-26 home mark and a 86-63 overall record. With an ERA of 4.75, Josh Tomlin has a 12-8 record and a 1.25 WHIP. He has 111 strikeouts over the 153.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 171 hits. He has allowed 10 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.11. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.34 and they have given up 402 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .229 against the Indians bullpen while being struck out 462 times and walking 179 times this season. As a team, Cleveland has allowed 8.25 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.7 batters per nine. They are 6th in the league in team earned run average at 3.82. The Indians pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,230 base knocks and 570 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 174 home runs this year and they give up 1.2 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Cleveland as a staff has walked 438 hitters and struck out 1,298. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.24 while their FIP as a staff is 3.94.

As a team, they are batting .264, good for 6th in the league while putting together a .291 average at home. The Indians hold a .433 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329 which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 6th in baseball with 9.05 hits per contest. Francisco Lindor comes into this matchup batting .310 and he has an OBP of .357. He has 179 hits this year along with 93 runs scored and 71 RBI. He's struck out 84 times and has walked on 46 occasions. Jason Kipnis is hitting .278 and he has an OBP of .344. He has collected 158 hits so far while he's scored 85 runs and drove in 78. He has earned a walk 58 times and has punched out 132 times. The Indians as a unit have 1,348 base hits, including 284 doubles and 177 homers. They have 124 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 28 times. Cleveland as a team has walked 485 times this year and they have struck out 1,158 times. They've had 999 men left on base and have an OPS of .762. They score 4.89 runs per game and have totaled 729 runs so far this season.

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 69-72-8 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 78-71-0 against the run line so far this season

Cleveland Indians Betting Trends

The Cleveland Indians are 74-65-10 against the over/under so far this season

The Cleveland Indians are 70-79-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Kansas City Royals

09/11/16 CF Lorenzo Cain Wrist out indefinitely
07/29/16 P Luke Hochevar Shoulder 60-day DL (7/25)
07/19/16 P Kris Medlen Shoulder 60-day DL (5/11)
05/26/16 3B Mike Moustakas Knee 60-day DL (5/23); out for season
04/10/16 P Mike Minor Shoulder 60-day DL (3/15); out for season
04/04/16 P Tim Collins Elbow 60-day DL; out for season

Cleveland Indians

09/18/16 RF Lonnie Chisenhall Abdominal "?" Tuesday vs. Kansas City Royals
09/17/16 C Yan Gomes Wrist 60-day DL (7/18)
09/17/16 P Carlos Carrasco Hand left last game, out indefinitely
09/13/16 P Danny Salazar Forearm out indefinitely
07/18/16 P Tommy Hunter Back 15-day DL (7/10)
07/07/16 P Zach McAllister Hip 15-day DL (7/6)
06/01/16 LF Marlon Byrd Suspension out for season
05/14/16 LF Michael Brantley Shoulder 60-day DL (5/10); out for season

Josh's Pick: Take the Indians

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