Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers 9/20/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Thursday, September 20, 2018

Comerica Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jorge Lopez vs. Matthew Boyd

The Kansas City Royals visit Comerica Park on Thursday, September 20, 2018 to play the Detroit Tigers. The probable starters are Jorge Lopez for the Royals and Matthew Boyd for the Tigers.

The opening line for this matchup has Kansas City at +120 and Detroit at -140. The Royals have a 66-75-10 over/under record and a 71-80-0 run line mark. The Tigers are 77-74-0 against the run line and have a 63-80-8 over/under record.

Valuable Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 66-75-10 against the over/under

The Kansas City Royals are 71-80-0 against the run line

Important Detroit Tigers Betting Trends

The Detroit Tigers are 63-80-8 against the over/under

The Detroit Tigers are 77-74-0 against the run line

Key Kansas City Royals Injuries

09/18/18 C Salvador Perez Thumb is questionable Wednesday vs Pittsburgh Pirates
09/05/18 P Danny Duffy Shoulder is out for season
07/31/18 3B Cheslor Cuthbert Back 60-day DL (05/16)
06/27/18 P Justin Grimm Shoulder 10-day DL (06/24)
06/17/18 LF Jorge Soler Foot 60-day DL (06/16)
03/30/18 P Nathan Karns Elbow 60-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 CF Bubba Starling Oblique 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Jesse Hahn Elbow 60-day DL (03/06)

Key Detroit Tigers Injuries

09/18/18 CF JaCoby Jones Shoulder is questionable Wednesday vs Minnesota Twins
09/16/18 P Michael Fulmer Knee left last game, is questionable for next scheduled start
09/13/18 RF Niko Goodrum Quad is out indefinitely
08/31/18 SS Jose Iglesias Abdominal 60-day DL (08/30)
08/15/18 P Artie Lewicki Elbow 60-day DL (08/14)
08/09/18 1B John Hicks Groin 60-day DL (08/07)
06/14/18 1B Miguel Cabrera Biceps is out for season
05/31/18 P Ryan Carpenter Oblique 10-day DL (05/31)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Royals have a 52-99 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jorge Lopez has a 2-4 record with an earned run average of 3.93 and a WHIP of 1.35 this season. He has 38 strikeouts over his 52.2 innings pitched and he's given up 49 hits. He's allowed 8.4 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.76. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.09 and they have given up 544 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .274 against the bullpen and they've struck out 410 hitters and walked 232 batters. As a team, Kansas City allows 9.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.3 batters per nine innings. They are 29th in the league in team earned run average at 5.02. The Royals pitchers collectively have given up 1,437 base hits and 745 earned runs. They have allowed 193 home runs this season, ranking them 6th in the league. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 521 batters and struck out 1,085. They have walked 3.5 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.47 and their FIP as a unit is 4.69.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Kansas City is hitting .245, good for 19th in the league. The Royals hold a .389 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .306, which is good for 24th in baseball. They rank 19th in MLB with 8.3 hits per game. Salvador Perez is hitting .236 with an on-base percentage of .273. He has 111 hits this season in 471 at bats with 76 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .446 and an OPS+ of 94. Whit Merrifield is hitting .301 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .365. He has totaled 176 hits and he has driven in 57 men in 585 at bats. His OPS+ is 120 while his slugging percentage is at .432. The Royals have 1,255 hits, including 265 doubles and 141 home runs. Kansas City has walked 404 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,220 times as a unit. They have left 993 men on base and have a team OPS of .696. They score 3.91 runs per contest and have scored a total of 590 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Detroit has a 61-90 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.08, Matthew Boyd has a 9-12 record and a 1.10 WHIP. He has 155 strikeouts over the 165.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 132 hits. He's allowing 7.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.09. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.47 and they have given up 527 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .253 against the Tigers bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 469 batters and walked 208 opposing hitters. As a team, Detroit allows 8.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.6 batters per nine innings. They are 22nd in the league in team earned run average at 4.5. The Tigers pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,309 base knocks and 665 earned runs this season. They have given up 199 home runs this year, which ranks 4th in Major League Baseball. Detroit as a staff has walked 460 hitters and struck out 1,127 batters. They give up a walk 3.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.33 while their FIP as a staff is 4.57.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .241, good for 22nd in the league. The Tigers hold a .381 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .300, which is good for 28th in baseball. They rank 23rd in MLB with 8.2 hits per contest. Victor Martinez comes into this matchup batting .247 with an OBP of .295. He has 113 hits this year along with 53 RBI in 457 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .348 with an OPS+ of 76. Nick Castellanos is hitting .296 this season and he has an OBP of .353. He has collected 171 hits in 578 at bats while driving in 81 runs. He has an OPS+ of 128 and a slugging percentage of .490. The Tigers as a unit have 1,238 base hits, including 272 doubles and 128 homers. Detroit has walked 395 times this year and they have struck out on 1,256 occasions. They have had 994 men left on base and have an OPS of .681. They have scored 3.88 runs per game and totaled 586 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Royals +120

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