Toronto Blue Jays at Kansas City Royals 8/16/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Thursday, August 16, 2018

Kauffman Stadium

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Sam Gaviglio vs. Glenn Sparkman

Kauffman Stadium is the site of the matchup between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Kansas City Royals on Thursday, August 16, 2018. The probable starting pitchers are Sam Gaviglio for the Blue Jays and Glenn Sparkman for the Royals.

Toronto opens at -123 while Kansas City opens at +113. The Blue Jays have a 61-52-6 over/under record and a 52-67-0 run line mark. The Royals are 50-69-0 against the run line and have a 51-62-6 over/under record.

Valuable Toronto Blue Jays Betting Trends

The Toronto Blue Jays are 61-52-6 against the over/under

The Toronto Blue Jays are 52-67-0 against the run line

Important Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 51-62-6 against the over/under

The Kansas City Royals are 50-69-0 against the run line

Key Toronto Blue Jays Injuries

08/12/18 P Marcus Stroman Blister left last game, is "?" next start
08/12/18 3B Yangervis Solarte Hip 10-day DL (08/12)
08/08/18 3B Brandon Drury Hand 10-day DL (08/05)
08/02/18 CF Lourdes Gurriel Ankle 10-day DL (07/31)
07/08/18 P Rhiner Cruz Groin 60-day DL (07/08)
06/23/18 P Aaron Sanchez Finger 10-day DL (06/23)
06/01/18 3B Josh Donaldson Calf 60-day DL (05/29)
04/01/18 RF Billy McKinney Shoulder 10-day DL (04/01)
03/26/18 SS Troy Tulowitzki Foot 60-day DL (03/29)

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)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Blue Jays have a 54-65 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Sam Gaviglio has a 2-5 record with an earned run average of 4.86 and a WHIP of 1.42 this year. He has 81 strikeouts over his 83.1 innings pitched and he's given up 91 hits. He's allowed 9.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.51. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.51 and they have given up 447 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .260 against the bullpen and they've struck out 452 hitters and walked 160 batters. As a team, Toronto allows 9.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.4 batters per nine innings. They are 24th in the league in team earned run average at 4.71. The Blue Jays pitchers collectively have given up 1,085 base hits and 555 earned runs. They have allowed 151 home runs this season, ranking them 6th in the league. Toronto as a pitching staff has walked 398 batters and struck out 990. They have walked 3.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.40 and their FIP as a unit is 4.39.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Toronto is hitting .242, good for 20th in the league. The Blue Jays hold a .424 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .313, which is good for 23rd in baseball. They rank 22nd in MLB with 8.2 hits per game. Kevin Pillar is hitting .247 with an on-base percentage of .277. He has 94 hits this season in 381 at bats with 44 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .412 and an OPS+ of 87. Yangervis Solarte is hitting .233 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .287. He has totaled 101 hits and he has driven in 53 men in 433 at bats. His OPS+ is 86 while his slugging percentage is at .397. The Blue Jays have 976 hits, including 228 doubles and 160 home runs. Toronto has walked 387 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,008 times as a unit. They have left 765 men on base and have a team OPS of .737. They score 4.45 runs per contest and have scored a total of 529 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Kansas City has a 36-83 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 5.06, Glenn Sparkman has a 0-1 record and a 1.63 WHIP this season. He has 14 strikeouts over the 16 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 19 hits. He allows 10.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.35. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.35 and they have given up 430 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .274 against the Royals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 314 batters and walked 183 opposing hitters. 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 5.32. The Royals pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,143 base knocks and 621 earned runs this season. They have given up 160 home runs this year, which ranks 4th in Major League Baseball. Kansas City as a staff has walked 427 hitters and struck out 848 batters. They give up a walk 3.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.3 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.49 while their FIP as a staff is 4.86.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .240, good for 24th in the league. The Royals hold a .371 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 contest. Salvador Perez comes into this matchup batting .232 with an OBP of .273. He has 89 hits this year along with 56 RBI in 384 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .424 with an OPS+ of 89. Whit Merrifield is hitting .299 this season and he has an OBP of .367. He has collected 135 hits in 452 at bats while driving in 38 runs. He has an OPS+ of 117 and a slugging percentage of .418. The Royals as a unit have 971 base hits, including 197 doubles and 100 homers. Kansas City has walked 314 times this year and they have struck out on 933 occasions. They have had 798 men left on base and have an OPS of .674. They have scored 3.66 runs per game and totaled 436 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Royals +113

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