Cleveland Indians at Kansas City Royals 8/20/2017 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Sunday, August 20, 2017

Kauffman Stadium

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Danny Salazar vs. Jason Hammel

Kauffman Stadium is the site of the matchup between the Cleveland Indians and the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, August 20, 2017. The probable starting pitchers are Danny Salazar for the Indians and Jason Hammel for the Royals.

Cleveland opens at -156 while Kansas City opens at +146. The Indians have a 44-67-9 over/under record and a 54-66-0 run line mark. The Royals are 60-61-0 against the run line and have a 57-58-6 over/under record.

Valuable Cleveland Indians Betting Trends

The Cleveland Indians are 44-67-9 against the over/under

The Cleveland Indians are 54-66-0 against the run line

Important Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 57-58-6 against the over/under

The Kansas City Royals are 60-61-0 against the run line

Key Cleveland Indians Injuries

08/19/17 P Corey Kluber Ankle injured last game, "?" next scheduled start
08/18/17 RF Abraham Almonte Hamstring 10-day DL (08/18)
08/18/17 3B Jose Ramirez Wrist "?" Saturday vs. Kansas City Royals
08/09/17 LF Michael Brantley Ankle 10-day DL (08/09)
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

08/18/17 P Joakim Soria Oblique 10-day DL (08/16)
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 67-53 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Danny Salazar has a 5-5 record with an earned run average of 3.92 and a WHIP of 1.31. He has 123 strikeouts over his 87.1 innings pitched and he's given up 77 hits. He allows 7.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.45. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.96 and they have given up 312 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .227 against the bullpen and they've struck out 415 hitters and walked 119 batters. As a team, Cleveland allows 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.3 batters per nine innings. They are 2nd in the league in team earned run average at 3.6. The Indians pitchers collectively have given up 950 base hits and 426 earned runs. They have allowed 131 home runs this season, ranking them 28th in the league. Cleveland as a pitching staff has walked 325 batters and struck out 1,212. They have walked 2.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 10.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.20 and their FIP as a unit is 3.47.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Cleveland is hitting .259, good for 11th in the league. The Indians hold a .437 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .335, which is good for 8th in baseball. They rank 13th in MLB with 8.8 hits per game. Edwin Encarnacion is hitting .254 with an on-base percentage of .372. He has 107 hits this season in 422 at bats with 72 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .493 and an OPS+ of 122. Francisco Lindor is hitting .263 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .320. He has totaled 128 hits and he has driven in 56 men in 487 at bats. His OPS+ is 98 while his slugging percentage is at .456. The Indians have 1,055 hits, including 243 doubles and 148 home runs. Cleveland has walked 449 times so far this season and they have struck out 868 times as a unit. They have left 851 men on base and have a team OPS of .772. They score 4.88 runs per contest and have scored a total of 585 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Kansas City has a 61-60 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.74, Jason Hammel has a 5-9 record and a 1.36 WHIP. He has 109 strikeouts over the 136.2 innings he's pitched. He's also given up 147 hits. He allows 9.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.29. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.16 and they have given up 402 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .251 against the Royals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 376 batters and walked 171 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 4.43. The Royals pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,093 base knocks and 531 earned runs this season. They have given up 140 home runs this year, which ranks 23rd in Major League Baseball. Kansas City as a staff has walked 380 hitters and struck out 925 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 4.28.

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 12th in MLB with 8.8 hits per contest. Eric Hosmer comes into this matchup batting .315 with an OBP of .378. He has 146 hits this year along with 68 RBI in 463 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .499 with an OPS+ of 129. Lorenzo Cain is hitting .293 this season and he has an OBP of .358. He has collected 131 hits in 447 at bats while driving in 40 runs. He has an OPS+ of 110 and a slugging percentage of .441. The Royals as a unit have 1,069 base hits, including 189 doubles and 153 homers. Kansas City has walked 300 times this year and they have struck out on 905 occasions. They have had 760 men left on base and have an OPS of .733. They have scored 4.48 runs per game and totaled 542 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Royals +146

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