New York Yankees at Kansas City Royals 5/20/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Sunday, May 20, 2018

Kauffman Stadium

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Sonny Gray vs. Eric Skoglund

The New York Yankees visit Kauffman Stadium on Sunday, May 20, 2018 to play the Kansas City Royals. The probable starters are Sonny Gray for the Yankees and Eric Skoglund for the Royals.

The opening line for this matchup has New York at -185 and Kansas City at +174. The Yankees have a 23-17-1 over/under record and a 23-18-0 run line mark. The Royals are 17-27-0 against the run line and have a 17-25-2 over/under record.

Valuable New York Yankees Betting Trends

The New York Yankees are 23-17-1 against the over/under

The New York Yankees are 23-18-0 against the run line

Important Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 17-25-2 against the over/under

The Kansas City Royals are 17-27-0 against the run line

Key New York Yankees Injuries

05/02/18 CF Jacoby Ellsbury Oblique 60-day DL (03/26)
05/02/18 P Jordan Montgomery Elbow 10-day DL (05/02)
04/21/18 P Adam Warren Back 10-day DL (04/21)
04/20/18 P Luis Cessa Oblique 10-day DL (04/18)
04/17/18 P Tommy Kahnle Shoulder 10-day DL (04/16)
04/04/18 P Ben Heller Elbow 60-day DL (03/27)
04/01/18 RF Billy McKinney Shoulder 10-day DL (04/01)
03/29/18 LF Clint Frazier Concussion 7-day DL (03/26)
03/29/18 1B Greg Bird Ankle 10-day DL (03/26)

Key Kansas City Royals Injuries

05/18/18 LF Jorge Soler Ribs is "?" Saturday vs New York Yankees
05/15/18 1B Lucas Duda Foot 10-day DL (05/14)
04/25/18 P Justin Grimm Back 10-day DL (04/22)
03/30/18 P Nathan Karns Elbow 10-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)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Yankees have a 28-13 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Sonny Gray has a 2-3 record with an earned run average of 6.39 and a WHIP of 1.84 this season. He has 32 strikeouts over his 38 innings pitched and he's given up 46 hits. He's allowed 10.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.14. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.52 and they have given up 124 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .216 against the bullpen and they've struck out 212 hitters and walked 57 batters. As a team, New York allows 7.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.1 batters per nine innings. They are 9th in the league in team earned run average at 3.68. The Yankees pitchers collectively have given up 321 base hits and 155 earned runs. They have allowed 43 home runs this season, ranking them 24th in the league. New York as a pitching staff has walked 131 batters and struck out 427. They have walked 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 10.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.19 and their FIP as a unit is 3.49.

Hitting Statistics

As a team New York is hitting .251, good for 12th in the league. The Yankees hold a .440 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .338, which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 14th in MLB with 8.5 hits per game. Aaron Judge is hitting .299 with an on-base percentage of .432. He has 46 hits this season in 154 at bats with 35 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .578 and an OPS+ of 168. Didi Gregorius is hitting .248 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .335. He has totaled 38 hits and he has driven in 31 men in 153 at bats. His OPS+ is 125 while his slugging percentage is at .523. The Yankees have 357 hits, including 85 doubles and 58 home runs. New York has walked 185 times so far this season and they have struck out 383 times as a unit. They have left 297 men on base and have a team OPS of .779. They score 5.62 runs per contest and have scored a total of 236 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Kansas City has a 14-30 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 5.58, Eric Skoglund has a 1-3 record and a 1.24 WHIP. He has 32 strikeouts over the 40.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 40 hits. He's allowing 8.9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.21. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.37 and they have given up 159 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .280 against the Royals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 104 batters and walked 59 opposing hitters. As a team, Kansas City allows 10 hits per nine innings while striking out 6.9 batters per nine innings. They are 29th in the league in team earned run average at 5.39. The Royals pitchers as a team have surrendered 433 base knocks and 234 earned runs this season. They have given up 62 home runs this year, which ranks 2nd in Major League Baseball. Kansas City as a staff has walked 136 hitters and struck out 301 batters. They give up a walk 3.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 6.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.46 while their FIP as a staff is 4.83.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .258, good for 6th in the league. The Royals hold a .392 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322, which is good for 12th in baseball. They rank 6th in MLB with 8.9 hits per contest. Whit Merrifield comes into this matchup batting .300 with an OBP of .363. He has 51 hits this year along with 16 RBI in 170 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .435 with an OPS+ of 119. Mike Moustakas is hitting .291 this season and he has an OBP of .332. He has collected 50 hits in 172 at bats while driving in 30 runs. He has an OPS+ of 133 and a slugging percentage of .535. The Royals as a unit have 392 base hits, including 77 doubles and 39 homers. Kansas City has walked 130 times this year and they have struck out on 309 occasions. They have had 317 men left on base and have an OPS of .714. They have scored 4.05 runs per game and totaled 178 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Yankees -185

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