Saturday, March 18, 2017

Alamodome

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Probable Pitchers: Mike Clevinger vs. Dillon Gee

The Cleveland Indians visit Alamodome on Saturday, March 18, 2017 to play the Texas Rangers in a Spring Training matchup. The probable starters are Mike Clevinger for the Indians and Dillon Gee for the Rangers.

The opening line for this matchup has Cleveland at +105 and Texas at -125. The Indians had a 80-70-11 over/under record and a 75-86-0 run line mark last season, meaning they covered 47% of the time. The Rangers were 83-79-0 against the run line and had a 79-73-10 over/under record. They covered the spread 51% of the time.

The Indians are coming off a 94-67 record in 2016, including 41-39 on the road. Starting pitcher Mike Clevinger had a 3-3 record with an earned run average of 5.26 and a WHIP of 1.49. He had 50 strikeouts over his 53 innings pitched and he gave up 50 hits last season. He allowed 8.5 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 4.86. The bullpen last year had an earned run average of 3.45 and they gave up 443 base hits on the year. Teams hit .231 against the bullpen while being struck out 514 times and walking 190 times last season. As a team, Cleveland allowed 8.28 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.71 batters per nine innings. They were 7th in the league in team earned run average at 3.84. The Indians pitchers collectively gave up 1,330 base hits and 617 earned runs. They allowed 186 home runs last season and they allowed 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Cleveland as a pitching staff walked 461 batters and struck out 1,398. They walked 2.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.7 per 9. They had a team WHIP of 1.24 and their FIP as a unit was 3.91.

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As a team Cleveland batted .262, good for 6th in the league while putting together a .236 average away from home. The Indians held a .430 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329 which was good for 8th in baseball. They ranked 9th in baseball with 8.91 hits per game. Jason Kipnis is coming off a 2016 season in which he hit .275 with an on-base percentage of .343. He had 168 hits last season along with 91 runs scored and 82 runs batted in. He struck out 146 times and walked 60 times. Francisco Lindor hit .301 last year and he had an on-base percentage of .358. He totaled 182 hits while scoring 99 runs and he drove in 78. He walked 57 times and struck out on 88 occasions. The Indians had 1,435 hits, including 308 doubles and 185 home runs. They stole 134 bases and were thrown out stealing 31 times. Cleveland walked 531 times last season and they struck out 1,246 times as a unit. They left 1,084 men on base and had a team OPS of .759. They scored 4.83 runs per contest and scored a total of 777 runs last year.

Texas had a 53-28 home record and a 95-67 overall mark in 2016. With an earned run average of 4.68, Dillon Gee had a 8-9 record and a 1.46 WHIP last season. He had 89 strikeouts over the 125 innings he pitched during which he gave up 146 hits. He allowed 10.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 5.25. Last season the bullpen had an earned run average of 4.40 and they gave up 521 base hits on the year. Teams hit .258 against the Rangers bullpen while being struck out 425 times and walking 190 times last season. As a team, Texas allowed 8.99 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.2 batters per nine innings. They were 22nd in the league in team earned run average at 4.37. The Rangers pitchers as a team surrendered 1,441 base knocks and 700 earned runs last season. They gave up 201 home runs last year and they gave up 1.3 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Texas as a staff walked 534 hitters and struck out 1,154. They gave up a walk 3.3 times per 9 innings while they struck out 7.2 per 9. Their team WHIP was 1.37 while their FIP as a staff was 4.58.

As a team, they batted .262, good for 5th in the league while putting together a .279 average at home. The Rangers held a .433 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322 which was good for 15th in baseball. They ranked 8th in baseball with 8.93 hits per contest. Jonathan Lucroy comes into this matchup after batting .292 with an OBP of .355. He had 143 hits last year along with 67 runs scored and 81 RBI. He struck out 100 times and walked on 47 occasions. Adrian Beltre hit .300 in 2016 and he had an OBP of .358. He collected 175 hits while scoring 89 runs and driving in 104. He earned a walk 48 times and punched out 66 times. The Rangers as a unit had 1,446 base hits, including 257 doubles and 215 homers. They had 99 stolen bases and were thrown out 36 times. Texas as a team walked 436 times last year and they struck out 1,220 times. They had 1,038 men left on base and had an OPS of .755. They scored 4.72 runs per game and totaled 765 runs last season.

Cleveland Indians Betting Trends

The Cleveland Indians were 80-70-11 against the over/under last season

The Cleveland Indians were 75-86-0 against the run line last season

Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Texas Rangers were 79-73-10 against the over/under last season

The Texas Rangers were 83-79-0 against the run line last season

Injuries to Watch

Cleveland Indians

No key injuries to report

Texas Rangers

No key injuries to report

Guy's Pick: Take the Indians +105

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