Kansas City Royals at Cleveland Indians MLB Game Picks 8/23/2019
Friday, August 23, 2019
Progressive Field
Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.
Probable Pitchers: Glenn Sparkman vs. Zach Plesac
Carlos Santana and the Cleveland Indians (74-53, 2nd in AL Central) play the Kansas City Royals (45-82, 4th in AL Central) at Progressive Field on Friday, August 23, 2019. The Indians open this contest at -170 while the Royals are coming in at +160. The O/U opens at 9.5.
The Royals have been bad for baseball wagerers, having gone 45-81-0 SU. The Indians cover 58.7% of the time, going 74-52-0 straight up.
Valuable Kansas City Royals Betting Trends
The Royals have been a hot and cold Under bet for O/U wagerers, having gone 61-59-6.
Kansas City covers 33.3% of the time as the visitor, having gone 21-42-0 straight up.
Important Cleveland Indians Betting Trends
Cleveland covers 60.0% of the time at Progressive Field, going 39-26-0 SU.
The Indians have been a dicey Over bet for O/U wagerers, having gone 55-66-5.
Key Kansas City Royals Injuries
8/20/2019 Jesse Hahn SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
8/20/2019 Danny Duffy SP Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Aug 25
8/19/2019 Cam Gallagher C Oblique Expected to be out until at least Aug 24
8/16/2019 Trevor Oaks SP Hip Expected to be out until at least Aug 31
8/14/2019 Adalberto Mondesi SS Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
3/11/2019 Salvador Perez C Elbow Out for the season
Key Cleveland Indians Injuries
8/21/2019 Tyler Olson RP Infection Expected to be out until at least Aug 22
8/20/2019 Corey Kluber SP Oblique Expected to be out until at least Sep 24
8/20/2019 A.J RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
8/20/2019 Jordan Luplow RF Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Aug 22
8/20/2019 Dan Otero RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 23
8/18/2019 Danny Salazar SP Groin Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
8/14/2019 Bradley Zimmer CF Side Expected to be out until at least Aug 31
8/12/2019 Christian Arroyo 3B Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
8/4/2019 Carlos Carrasco SP Illness Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
8/4/2019 Jefry Rodriguez SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 28
7/12/2019 Cody Anderson RP Elbow Out for the season
Useful Pitching Statistics
The Royals have a 45-82 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Glenn Sparkman has a 3-8 record with an earned run average of 5.40 and a WHIP of 1.43 this season. He has 61 strikeouts over his 105 innings pitched and he's given up 120 hits. He's allowed 10.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.75. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.88 and they have given up 458 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .269 against the bullpen and they've struck out 405 hitters and walked 201 batters. As a team, Kansas City allows 9.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.8 batters per nine innings. They are 24th in the league in team earned run average at 5. The Royals pitchers collectively have given up 1,191 base hits and 625 earned runs. They have allowed 170 home runs this season, ranking them 17th in the league. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 453 batters and struck out 980. They have walked 3.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.46 and their FIP as a unit is 4.82.
Related: Get MLB predictions on all of today's games
Hitting Statistics
As a team Kansas City is hitting .243, good for 25th in the league. The Royals hold a .397 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .306, which is good for 27th in baseball. They rank 25th in MLB with 8.2 hits per game. Whit Merrifield is hitting .299 with an on-base percentage of .351. He has 160 hits this season in 536 at bats with 65 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .478 and an OPS+ of 116. Alex Gordon is hitting .262 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .334. He has totaled 119 hits and he has driven in 63 men in 454 at bats. His OPS+ is 94 while his slugging percentage is at .405. The Royals have 1,053 hits, including 218 doubles and 128 home runs. Kansas City has walked 360 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,077 times as a unit. They have left 820 men on base and have a team OPS of .703. They score 4.23 runs per contest and have scored a total of 542 runs this year.
Useful Pitching Statistics
Cleveland has a 74-53 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.53, Zach Plesac has a 6-4 record and a 1.21 WHIP. He has 61 strikeouts over the 81.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 69 hits. He's allowing 7.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.32. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.48 and they have given up 374 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .242 against the Indians bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 404 batters and walked 129 opposing hitters. As a team, Cleveland allows 8.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.4 batters per nine innings. They are 3rd in the league in team earned run average at 3.72. The Indians pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,020 base knocks and 467 earned runs this season. They have given up 162 home runs this year, which ranks 22nd in Major League Baseball. Cleveland as a staff has walked 351 hitters and struck out 1,186 batters. They give up a walk 2.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.21 while their FIP as a staff is 4.05.
Hitting Statistics
As a team, they are batting .252, good for 16th in the league. The Indians hold a .436 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .324, which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 18th in MLB with 8.4 hits per contest. Carlos Santana comes into this matchup batting .291 with an OBP of .413. He has 130 hits this year along with 79 RBI in 446 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .552 with an OPS+ of 149. Francisco Lindor is hitting .297 this season and he has an OBP of .352. He has collected 134 hits in 451 at bats while driving in 53 runs. He has an OPS+ of 122 and a slugging percentage of .514. The Indians as a unit have 1,073 base hits, including 227 doubles and 176 homers. Cleveland has walked 437 times this year and they have struck out on 1,030 occasions. They have had 849 men left on base and have an OPS of .759. They have scored 4.72 runs per game and totaled 600 runs this season.
Who will win tonight's Royals/Indians MLB game against the spread?
Guy's Pick: Take the Indians (-170)
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