Thursday, September 22, 2016

Progressive Field

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Probable Pitchers: Jason Vargas vs. Mike Clevinger

The Kansas City Royals visit Progressive Field on Thursday to play the Cleveland Indians. The probable starters are Jason Vargas for the Royals and Mike Clevinger for the Indians. The opening line for this matchup has Kansas City at +145 and Cleveland at -155. The over/under was set at 9. The Royals have a 70-73-8 over/under record and a 80-71-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 53% of the time. The Indians are 70-80-0 against the run line and have a 74-66-10 over/under record. They cover the spread 47% of the time.

The Royals head into this matchup with a 77-74 record, including 32-44 on the road. Starting pitcher Jason Vargas has a 0-0 record with an earned run average of 3.00 and a WHIP of 1.00. He has 1 strikeout over his 3 innings pitched and he has given up 2 hits so far this season. He has allowed 6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.47. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.42 and they have given up 463 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .244 against the bullpen while being struck out 469 times and walking 166 times this season. As a team, Kansas City has allowed 8.88 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.03 batters per nine. They are 16th in the league in team earned run average at 4.16. The Royals pitchers have collectively given up 1,324 base hits and 621 earned runs. They have allowed 194 home runs this season and they allow 1.3 homers per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 467 batters and struck out 1,198. They walk 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 8 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 batting .261, good for 8th in the league while putting together a .249 average away from home. The Royals hold a .400 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .313 which is good for 25th in baseball. They rank 8th in baseball with 8.95 hits per game. Eric Hosmer comes into this game hitting .271 and his on-base percentage is at .333. He has 155 hits this season along with 77 runs scored and 97 runs batted in. He's struck out 121 times and has walked 55 times. Alcides Escobar is hitting .268 and he has an on-base percentage of .301. He has totaled 160 hits so far while scoring 56 runs and he's driven in 50. He has walked 27 times and has struck out 87 times. The Royals have 1,351 hits, including 247 doubles and 137 home runs. They've stolen 111 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 31 times. Kansas City has walked 359 times this season and they've struck out 1,124 times as a unit. They've left 987 men on base and have a team OPS of .712. They score 4.15 runs per contest and have scored a total of 626 runs so far this year.

Cleveland comes into this matchup with a 50-26 home record and a 87-63 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.76, Mike Clevinger has a 2-2 record and a 1.41 WHIP. He has 43 strikeouts over the 45.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 39 hits. He has allowed 7.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.61. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.32 and they have given up 403 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .228 against the Indians bullpen while being struck out 465 times and walking 179 times this season. As a team, Cleveland has allowed 8.23 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.69 batters per nine. They are 6th in the league in team earned run average at 3.80. The Indians pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,236 base knocks and 571 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 1,304. 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 3.92.

As a team, they are batting .263, good for 6th in the league while putting together a .289 average at home. The Indians hold a .432 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329 which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 6th in baseball with 9.02 hits per contest. Francisco Lindor comes into this matchup batting .308 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 85 times and has walked on 47 occasions. Jason Kipnis is hitting .277 and he has an OBP of .344. He has collected 159 hits so far while he's scored 85 runs and drove in 78. He has earned a walk 58 times and has punched out 133 times. The Indians as a unit have 1,353 base hits, including 284 doubles and 178 homers. They have 126 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 28 times. Cleveland as a team has walked 489 times this year and they have struck out 1,165 times. They've had 1,007 men left on base and have an OPS of .761. They score 4.87 runs per game and have totaled 731 runs so far this season.

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 70-73-8 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 80-71-0 against the run line so far this season

Cleveland Indians Betting Trends

The Cleveland Indians are 74-66-10 against the over/under so far this season

The Cleveland Indians are 70-80-0 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

09/17/16 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

Tony's Pick: Take the Royals

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