Kansas City Royals at Atlanta Braves Expert MLB Picks Against the Spread 7/24/2019
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
SunTrust Park
Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.
Probable Pitchers: Brad Keller vs. Julio Teheran
Whit Merrifield and the Kansas City Royals (37-64, 4th in AL Central) head to SunTrust Park on Wednesday where they'll meet the Atlanta Braves (60-41, 1st in NL East). The Braves open this game at -198 while the Royals are priced at +184. The over/under opens at 10.
The Royals have been strong for Vegas oddsmakers, having gone 37-64-0 SU. Atlanta covers 59.4% of the time, going 60-41-0 straight up. The Braves have been a very good play for MLB bettors as a favorite, going 46-22-0 SU. Kansas City covers 32.9% of the time as an underdog, having gone 28-57-0 straight up.
Valuable Kansas City Royals Betting Trends
The Royals have been a pretty good Over choice for over/under MLB bettors, having gone 50-45-6.
Kansas City covers 30.0% of the time as the road team, having gone 15-35-0 straight up.
Important Atlanta Braves Betting Trends
Atlanta covers 58.8% of the time at SunTrust Park, going 30-21-0 SU.
The Braves have been a pretty good Over choice for over/under MLB bettors, having gone 50-46-5.
Key Kansas City Royals Injuries
7/17/2019 Adalberto Mondesi SS Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Jul 31
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
Key Atlanta Braves Injuries
7/16/2019 Max Fried SP Finger Expected to be out until at least Jul 26
7/15/2019 Jacob Webb RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Jul 23
7/12/2019 Grant Dayton RP Toe Expected to be out until at least Aug 13
7/2/2019 Darren O'Day RP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Jul 23
7/1/2019 Jacob Lindgren RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Jul 31
Useful Pitching Statistics
The Royals have a 37-64 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Brad Keller has a 6-9 record with an earned run average of 4.18 and a WHIP of 1.40 this season. He has 91 strikeouts over his 125 innings pitched and he's given up 118 hits. He's allowed 8.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.39. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.81 and they have given up 358 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .267 against the bullpen and they've struck out 328 hitters and walked 152 batters. As a team, Kansas City allows 9.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.9 batters per nine innings. They are 24th in the league in team earned run average at 5. The Royals pitchers collectively have given up 931 base hits and 492 earned runs. They have allowed 129 home runs this season, ranking them 20th in the league. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 360 batters and struck out 774. They have walked 3.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.46 and their FIP as a unit is 4.77.
Related: Get MLB tips & picks on all of today's games
Hitting Statistics
As a team Kansas City is hitting .250, good for 16th in the league. The Royals hold a .407 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .313, which is good for 22nd in baseball. They rank 19th in MLB with 8.5 hits per game. Whit Merrifield is hitting .309 with an on-base percentage of .360. He has 131 hits this season in 424 at bats with 51 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .502 and an OPS+ of 125. Alex Gordon is hitting .278 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .354. He has totaled 98 hits and he has driven in 58 men in 353 at bats. His OPS+ is 109 while his slugging percentage is at .439. The Royals have 856 hits, including 182 doubles and 98 home runs. Kansas City has walked 287 times so far this season and they have struck out 866 times as a unit. They have left 657 men on base and have a team OPS of .720. They score 4.37 runs per contest and have scored a total of 441 runs this year.
Useful Pitching Statistics
Atlanta has a 60-41 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.61, Julio Teheran has a 5-6 record and a 1.29 WHIP. He has 102 strikeouts over the 112.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 93 hits. He's allowing 7.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.57. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.97 and they have given up 344 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .240 against the Braves bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 388 batters and walked 176 opposing hitters. As a team, Atlanta allows 8.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.6 batters per nine innings. They are 11th in the league in team earned run average at 4.25. The Braves pitchers as a team have surrendered 883 base knocks and 428 earned runs this season. They have given up 125 home runs this year, which ranks 23rd in Major League Baseball. Atlanta as a staff has walked 371 hitters and struck out 861 batters. They give up a walk 3.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.39 while their FIP as a staff is 4.50.
Hitting Statistics
As a team, they are batting .262, good for 8th in the league. The Braves hold a .457 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .337, which is good for 6th in baseball. They rank 8th in MLB with 9.1 hits per contest. Freddie Freeman comes into this matchup batting .301 with an OBP of .387. He has 119 hits this year along with 78 RBI in 395 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .567 with an OPS+ of 139. Ronald Acuna Jr is hitting .295 this season and he has an OBP of .378. He has collected 119 hits in 404 at bats while driving in 58 runs. He has an OPS+ of 124 and a slugging percentage of .510. The Braves as a unit have 915 base hits, including 176 doubles and 156 homers. Atlanta has walked 367 times this year and they have struck out on 882 occasions. They have had 712 men left on base and have an OPS of .794. They have scored 5.29 runs per game and totaled 534 runs this season.
Who will win tonight's Royals/Braves MLB game against the spread?
Josh's Pick: Take the Royals +184
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