Kansas City Royals at Tampa Bay Rays 8/22/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Tropicana Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jakob Junis vs. Yonny Chirinos

Tropicana Field is the site of the matchup between the Kansas City Royals and the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, August 22, 2018. The probable starting pitchers are Jakob Junis for the Royals and Yonny Chirinos for the Rays.

Kansas City opens at +110 while Tampa Bay opens at -120. The Royals have a 54-65-6 over/under record and a 55-70-0 run line mark. The Rays are 69-56-0 against the run line and have a 52-69-4 over/under record.

Valuable Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 54-65-6 against the over/under

The Kansas City Royals are 55-70-0 against the run line

Important Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Rays are 52-69-4 against the over/under

The Tampa Bay Rays are 69-56-0 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 38-87 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jakob Junis has a 6-11 record with an earned run average of 4.76 and a WHIP of 1.32 this year. He has 127 strikeouts over his 132.1 innings pitched and he's given up 135 hits. He's allowed 9.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.20 and they have given up 448 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .271 against the bullpen and they've struck out 343 hitters and walked 193 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 5.28. The Royals pitchers collectively have given up 1,197 base hits and 646 earned runs. They have allowed 167 home runs this season, ranking them 4th in the league. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 447 batters and struck out 899. They have walked 3.7 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 4.84.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Kansas City is hitting .240, good for 25th in the league. The Royals hold a .373 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .302, which is good for 27th in baseball. They rank 25th in MLB with 8.1 hits per game. Salvador Perez is hitting .235 with an on-base percentage of .273. He has 96 hits this season in 409 at bats with 60 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .433 and an OPS+ of 91. Whit Merrifield is hitting .303 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .371. He has totaled 144 hits and he has driven in 43 men in 476 at bats. His OPS+ is 120 while his slugging percentage is at .424. The Royals have 1,017 hits, including 203 doubles and 108 home runs. Kansas City has walked 331 times so far this season and they have struck out 985 times as a unit. They have left 832 men on base and have a team OPS of .675. They score 3.67 runs per contest and have scored a total of 459 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Tampa Bay has a 64-61 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.96, Yonny Chirinos has a 1-5 record and a 1.26 WHIP this season. He has 44 strikeouts over the 52.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 51 hits. He allows 8.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.62. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.74 and they have given up 522 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .226 against the Rays bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 563 batters and walked 222 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 7th in the league in team earned run average at 3.74. The Rays pitchers as a team have surrendered 948 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 399 hitters and struck out 1,078 batters. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.20 while their FIP as a staff is 3.84.

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 119. Mallex Smith is hitting .301 this season and he has an OBP of .374. He has collected 108 hits in 359 at bats while driving in 29 runs. He has an OPS+ of 124 and a slugging percentage of .423. The Rays as a unit have 1,061 base hits, including 203 doubles and 112 homers. Tampa Bay has walked 395 times this year and they have struck out on 1,066 occasions. They have had 867 men left on base and have an OPS of .715. They have scored 4.1 runs per game and totaled 513 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Rays -120

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Guy Bruhn