Kansas City Royals at Tampa Bay Rays 8/21/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Tropicana Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Glenn Sparkman vs. Blake Snell

Tropicana Field is the site of the matchup between the Kansas City Royals and the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday, August 21, 2018. The probable starting pitchers are Glenn Sparkman for the Royals and Blake Snell for the Rays.

Kansas City opens at +225 while Tampa Bay opens at -245. The Royals have a 54-64-6 over/under record and a 54-70-0 run line mark. The Rays are 69-55-0 against the run line and have a 52-68-4 over/under record.

Valuable Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 54-64-6 against the over/under

The Kansas City Royals are 54-70-0 against the run line

Important Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Rays are 52-68-4 against the over/under

The Tampa Bay Rays are 69-55-0 against the run line

Key Kansas City Royals Injuries

08/13/18 P Danny Duffy Shoulder 10-day DL (08/12)
08/01/18 RF Brian Goodwin Groin 10-day DL (07/29)
07/31/18 3B Cheslor Cuthbert Back 60-day DL (05/16)
07/11/18 P Ian Kennedy Oblique 10-day DL (07/11)
06/27/18 P Justin Grimm Shoulder 10-day DL (06/24)
06/17/18 LF Jorge Soler Foot 60-day DL (06/16)
05/27/18 P Eric Skoglund Arm 60-day DL (05/26)
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 Tampa Bay Rays Injuries

08/04/18 SS Daniel Robertson Thumb 10-day DL (08/04)
07/11/18 P Jose Alvarado Personal is out indefinitely
07/04/18 P Vidal Nuno Hamstring 10-day DL (07/04)
06/30/18 P Wilmer Font Side 60-day DL (06/30)
06/18/18 3B Christian Arroyo Oblique 10-day DL (06/17)
04/11/18 P Jose De Leon Elbow 60-day DL (03/28)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Royals have a 38-86 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Glenn Sparkman has a 0-1 record with an earned run average of 4.95 and a WHIP of 1.55 this year. He has 17 strikeouts over his 20 innings pitched and he's given up 23 hits. He's allowed 10.4 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.11. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.23 and they have given up 445 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .271 against the bullpen and they've struck out 339 hitters and walked 192 batters. As a team, Kansas City allows 9.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.3 batters per nine innings. They are 30th in the league in team earned run average at 5.31. The Royals pitchers collectively have given up 1,189 base hits and 645 earned runs. They have allowed 167 home runs this season, ranking them 4th in the league. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 443 batters and struck out 892. They have walked 3.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.49 and their FIP as a unit is 4.85.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Kansas City is hitting .240, good for 25th in the league. The Royals hold a .374 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .302, which is good for 26th in baseball. They rank 24th in MLB with 8.2 hits per game. Salvador Perez is hitting .235 with an on-base percentage of .273. He has 95 hits this season in 405 at bats with 60 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .432 and an OPS+ of 91. Whit Merrifield is hitting .303 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .372. He has totaled 143 hits and he has driven in 43 men in 472 at bats. His OPS+ is 121 while his slugging percentage is at .426. The Royals have 1,011 hits, including 202 doubles and 108 home runs. Kansas City has walked 329 times so far this season and they have struck out 975 times as a unit. They have left 825 men on base and have a team OPS of .676. They score 3.7 runs per contest and have scored a total of 459 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Tampa Bay has a 63-61 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.10, Blake Snell has a 14-5 record and a 1.02 WHIP this season. He has 149 strikeouts over the 133 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 85 hits. He allows 5.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.34. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.79 and they have given up 518 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .227 against the Rays bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 555 batters and walked 220 opposing hitters. As a team, Tampa Bay allows 7.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.7 batters per nine innings. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 3.77. The Rays pitchers as a team have surrendered 942 base knocks and 465 earned runs this season. They have given up 123 home runs this year, which ranks 26th in Major League Baseball. Tampa Bay as a staff has walked 397 hitters and struck out 1,068 batters. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.21 while their FIP as a staff is 3.86.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .251, good for 11th in the league. The Rays hold a .391 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .324, which is good for 11th in baseball. They rank 14th in MLB with 8.5 hits per contest. C.J. Cron comes into this matchup batting .250 with an OBP of .317. He has 102 hits this year along with 59 RBI in 408 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .480 with an OPS+ of 120. Mallex Smith is hitting .298 this season and he has an OBP of .370. He has collected 106 hits in 356 at bats while driving in 29 runs. He has an OPS+ of 122 and a slugging percentage of .421. The Rays as a unit have 1,053 base hits, including 202 doubles and 112 homers. Tampa Bay has walked 391 times this year and they have struck out on 1,059 occasions. They have had 858 men left on base and have an OPS of .715. They have scored 4.13 runs per game and totaled 512 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Rays -245

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