Cleveland Indians at Kansas City Royals 8/18/2017 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Friday, August 18, 2017

Kauffman Stadium

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Corey Kluber vs. Ian Kennedy

The Cleveland Indians visit Kauffman Stadium on Friday, August 18, 2017 to play the Kansas City Royals. The probable starters are Corey Kluber for the Indians and Ian Kennedy for the Royals.

The opening line for this matchup has Cleveland at -175 and Kansas City at +165. The Indians have a 42-66-9 over/under record and a 52-65-0 run line mark. The Royals are 60-60-0 against the run line and have a 56-58-6 over/under record.

Valuable Cleveland Indians Betting Trends

The Cleveland Indians are 42-66-9 against the over/under

The Cleveland Indians are 52-65-0 against the run line

Important Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 56-58-6 against the over/under

The Kansas City Royals are 60-60-0 against the run line

Key Cleveland Indians Injuries

08/09/17 LF Michael Brantley Ankle 10-day DL (08/09)
08/02/17 P Andrew Miller Knee 10-day DL (08/02)
07/31/17 P Josh Tomlin Hamstring 10-day DL (07/31)
07/30/17 P Boone Logan Back 60-day DL (07/20)
07/14/17 RF Lonnie Chisenhall Calf 10-day DL (07/11)
04/09/17 P Cody Anderson Elbow 60-day DL (04/02)

Key Kansas City Royals Injuries

08/10/17 P Trevor Cahill Shoulder 10-day DL (08/10)
08/06/17 C Salvador Perez Side 10-day DL (08/05)
06/26/17 P Nathan Karns Forearm 60-day DL (05/21)
06/02/17 RF Paulo Orlando Shin 60-day DL (06/01)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Indians have a 65-52 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Corey Kluber has a 11-3 record with an earned run average of 2.71 and a WHIP of 0.91. He has 192 strikeouts over his 139.2 innings pitched and he's given up 97 hits. He allows 6.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.49. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.95 and they have given up 297 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .224 against the bullpen and they've struck out 393 hitters and walked 113 batters. As a team, Cleveland allows 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.2 batters per nine innings. They are 2nd in the league in team earned run average at 3.63. The Indians pitchers collectively have given up 918 base hits and 419 earned runs. They have allowed 128 home runs this season, ranking them 27th in the league. Cleveland as a pitching staff has walked 316 batters and struck out 1,176. They have walked 2.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 10.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.19 and their FIP as a unit is 3.49.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Cleveland is hitting .258, good for 12th in the league. The Indians hold a .435 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .334, which is good for 8th in baseball. They rank 13th in MLB with 8.8 hits per game. Francisco Lindor is hitting .267 with an on-base percentage of .326. He has 126 hits this season in 472 at bats with 55 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .466 and an OPS+ of 102. Edwin Encarnacion is hitting .253 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .370. He has totaled 104 hits and he has driven in 71 men in 411 at bats. His OPS+ is 121 while his slugging percentage is at .491. The Indians have 1,025 hits, including 242 doubles and 141 home runs. Cleveland has walked 439 times so far this season and they have struck out 849 times as a unit. They have left 831 men on base and have a team OPS of .770. They score 4.82 runs per contest and have scored a total of 564 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Kansas City has a 61-59 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.80, Ian Kennedy has a 4-8 record and a 1.23 WHIP. He has 104 strikeouts over the 120 innings he's pitched. He's also given up 101 hits. He allows 7.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.06. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.11 and they have given up 395 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .251 against the Royals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 370 batters and walked 169 opposing hitters. As a team, Kansas City allows 9.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.7 batters per nine innings. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 4.38. The Royals pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,080 base knocks and 521 earned runs this season. They have given up 136 home runs this year, which ranks 23rd in Major League Baseball. Kansas City as a staff has walked 376 hitters and struck out 918 batters. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.36 while their FIP as a staff is 4.24.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .257, good for 14th in the league. The Royals hold a .422 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .311, which is good for 27th in baseball. They rank 11th in MLB with 8.8 hits per contest. Lorenzo Cain comes into this matchup batting .293 with an OBP of .358. He has 130 hits this year along with 40 RBI in 443 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .442 with an OPS+ of 111. Eric Hosmer is hitting .315 this season and he has an OBP of .377. He has collected 145 hits in 460 at bats while driving in 68 runs. He has an OPS+ of 130 and a slugging percentage of .500. The Royals as a unit have 1,060 base hits, including 188 doubles and 152 homers. Kansas City has walked 298 times this year and they have struck out on 897 occasions. They have had 751 men left on base and have an OPS of .733. They have scored 4.51 runs per game and totaled 541 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Indians -175

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