Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals MLB Picks 7/18/2019

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Kauffman Stadium

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Dylan Covey vs. Brad Keller

Jose Abreu and the Chicago White Sox (42-49, 3rd in AL Central) are headed to Kauffman Stadium on Thursday where they'll take on the Kansas City Royals (34-62, 4th in AL Central). The White Sox open this matchup at -125 while the Royals are priced at +115. The total opens at 9.5.

The White Sox have been decent for Vegas oddsmakers, having gone 42-49-0 SU. Kansas City is covering 35.4% of the time, going 34-62-0 straight up. The White Sox have been a strong pick for MLB wagerers as a favorite, going 17-10-0 SU. The Royals cover 32.9% of the time as an underdog, having gone 27-55-0 straight up.

Valuable Chicago White Sox Betting Trends

The White Sox have been a decent Under choice for O/U wagerers, having gone 44-45-2.

The White Sox cover 37.0% of the time on the road, having gone 17-29-0 straight up.

Important Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

Kansas City is covering 39.6% of the time at Kauffman Stadium, going 19-29-0 SU.

The Royals have been a solid Over choice for O/U wagerers, having gone 48-43-5.

Key Chicago White Sox Injuries

7/16/2019 Eloy Jimenez LF Elbow Expected to be out until at least Jul 27
7/13/2019 Manny Banuelos SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Jul 28
7/8/2019 Ryan Burr RP Elbow Out for the season
6/28/2019 Tim Anderson SS Ankle Expected to be out until at least Aug 1
6/7/2019 Carlos Rodon SP Elbow Out for the season
5/13/2019 Nate Jones RP Forearm Out for the season
3/11/2019 Michael Kopech SP Elbow Out for the season

Key Kansas City Royals Injuries

7/16/2019 Adalberto Mondesi SS Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Jul 18
6/10/2019 Jesse Hahn SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Jul 25
3/28/2019 Trevor Oaks SP Hip Expected to be out until at least Aug 1
3/11/2019 Salvador Perez C Elbow Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The White Sox have a 42-49 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Dylan Covey has a 1-5 record with an earned run average of 6.00 and a WHIP of 1.62 this season. He has 24 strikeouts over his 39 innings pitched and he's given up 41 hits. He's allowed 9.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.75. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.71 and they have given up 302 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .249 against the bullpen and they've struck out 287 hitters and walked 148 batters. As a team, Chicago allows 9.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.1 batters per nine innings. They are 27th in the league in team earned run average at 5.14. The White Sox pitchers collectively have given up 823 base hits and 449 earned runs. They have allowed 133 home runs this season, ranking them 11th in the league. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 332 batters and struck out 710. They have walked 3.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.47 and their FIP as a unit is 4.99.

Related: Get MLB picks & tips on all of today's games

Hitting Statistics

As a team Chicago is hitting .255, good for 13th in the league. The White Sox hold a .405 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .312, which is good for 22nd in baseball. They rank 17th in MLB with 8.6 hits per game. Jose Abreu is hitting .271 with an on-base percentage of .307. He has 98 hits this season in 362 at bats with 66 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .503 and an OPS+ of 111. Yoan Moncada is hitting .305 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .363. He has totaled 98 hits and he has driven in 49 men in 321 at bats. His OPS+ is 134 while his slugging percentage is at .530. The White Sox have 782 hits, including 134 doubles and 105 home runs. Chicago has walked 223 times so far this season and they have struck out 848 times as a unit. They have left 602 men on base and have a team OPS of .717. They score 4.23 runs per contest and have scored a total of 385 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Kansas City has a 34-62 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.25, Brad Keller has a 5-9 record and a 1.38 WHIP. He has 84 strikeouts over the 118.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 109 hits. He's allowing 8.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.4. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.81 and they have given up 341 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .268 against the Royals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 311 batters and walked 146 opposing hitters. As a team, Kansas City allows 9.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.9 batters per nine innings. They are 25th in the league in team earned run average at 5.02. The Royals pitchers as a team have surrendered 882 base knocks and 470 earned runs this season. They have given up 123 home runs this year, which ranks 20th in Major League Baseball. Kansas City as a staff has walked 347 hitters and struck out 736 batters. They give up a walk 3.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.46 while their FIP as a staff is 4.79.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .248, good for 18th in the league. The Royals hold a .405 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .310, which is good for 23rd in baseball. They rank 19th in MLB with 8.4 hits per contest. Alex Gordon comes into this matchup batting .274 with an OBP of .353. He has 91 hits this year along with 57 RBI in 332 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .443 with an OPS+ of 110. Whit Merrifield is hitting .307 this season and he has an OBP of .359. He has collected 122 hits in 397 at bats while driving in 45 runs. He has an OPS+ of 124 and a slugging percentage of .496. The Royals as a unit have 808 base hits, including 172 doubles and 93 homers. Kansas City has walked 268 times this year and they have struck out on 835 occasions. They have had 622 men left on base and have an OPS of .715. They have scored 4.35 runs per game and totaled 418 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the White Sox -125

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