Kansas City Royals at Miami Marlins Expert MLB Picks Against the Spread 9/8/2019

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Marlins Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Mike Montgomery vs. Sandy Alcantara

Starlin Castro and the Miami Marlins (50-90, 5th in NL East) play the Kansas City Royals (52-90, 4th in AL Central) at Marlins Park on Sunday, September 8, 2019. The Royals open this matchup at +105 while the Marlins are coming in at -115. The O/U has been set at 8.5.

The Royals have been decent for oddsmakers, having gone 52-90-0 SU. Miami is covering 35.7% of the time, going 50-90-0 straight up.

Valuable Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Royals have been a pretty good Over bet for O/U MLB bettors, having gone 70-66-6.

Kansas City is covering 33.3% of the time away from home, having gone 23-46-0 straight up.

Important Miami Marlins Betting Trends

Miami is covering 38.9% of the time at Marlins Park, going 28-44-0 SU.

The Marlins have been a pretty good Over bet for O/U MLB bettors, having gone 66-65-9.

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Key Kansas City Royals Injuries

9/5/2019 Jake Newberry RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 13
8/29/2019 Brad Keller SP Rest Out for the season
8/16/2019 Trevor Oaks SP Hip Expected to be out until at least Sep 20
3/11/2019 Salvador Perez C Elbow Out for the season

Key Miami Marlins Injuries

9/6/2019 Cesar Puello CF Hip Expected to be out until at least Sep 7
9/5/2019 JT Riddle CF Forearm Expected to be out until at least Sep 12
9/5/2019 Julian Fernandez RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 20
9/3/2019 Brian Anderson 3B Finger Out for the season
9/3/2019 Austin Brice RP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Sep 11
8/28/2019 Jordan Yamamoto SP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Sep 11
8/26/2019 Chad Wallach C Concussion Expected to be out until at least Sep 8
8/8/2019 Drew Steckenrider RP Elbow Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Royals have a 52-90 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Mike Montgomery has a 3-7 record with an earned run average of 4.42 and a WHIP of 1.54 this season. He has 59 strikeouts over his 73.1 innings pitched and he's given up 88 hits. He's allowed 10.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.05. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.00 and they have given up 525 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .272 against the bullpen and they've struck out 460 hitters and walked 220 batters. As a team, Kansas City allows 9.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.8 batters per nine innings. They are 27th in the league in team earned run average at 5.11. The Royals pitchers collectively have given up 1,340 base hits and 711 earned runs. They have allowed 190 home runs this season, ranking them 17th in the league. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 496 batters and struck out 1,082. They have walked 3.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.47 and their FIP as a unit is 4.83.

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

Hitting Statistics

As a team Kansas City is hitting .245, good for 23rd in the league. The Royals hold a .399 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .309, which is good for 24th in baseball. They rank 22nd in MLB with 8.3 hits per game. Hunter Dozier is hitting .289 with an on-base percentage of .362. He has 129 hits this season in 447 at bats with 78 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .553 and an OPS+ of 137. Whit Merrifield is hitting .307 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .355. He has totaled 183 hits and he has driven in 72 men in 596 at bats. His OPS+ is 117 while his slugging percentage is at .477. The Royals have 1,181 hits, including 240 doubles and 143 home runs. Kansas City has walked 405 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,192 times as a unit. They have left 920 men on base and have a team OPS of .708. They score 4.27 runs per contest and have scored a total of 606 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Miami has a 50-90 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.26, Sandy Alcantara has a 4-12 record and a 1.36 WHIP. He has 123 strikeouts over the 162.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 145 hits. He's allowing 8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.75. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.01 and they have given up 458 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .249 against the Marlins bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 489 batters and walked 229 opposing hitters. As a team, Miami allows 8.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.7 batters per nine innings. They are 21st in the league in team earned run average at 4.76. The Marlins pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,141 base knocks and 658 earned runs this season. They have given up 212 home runs this year, which ranks 8th in Major League Baseball. Miami as a staff has walked 531 hitters and struck out 1,197 batters. They give up a walk 3.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.34 while their FIP as a staff is 4.97.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .240, good for 29th in the league. The Marlins hold a .370 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .297, which is good for 29th in baseball. They rank 28th in MLB with 8.1 hits per contest. Starlin Castro comes into this matchup batting .271 with an OBP of .297. He has 150 hits this year along with 74 RBI in 553 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .418 with an OPS+ of 87. Garrett Cooper is hitting .276 this season and he has an OBP of .343. He has collected 98 hits in 355 at bats while driving in 49 runs. He has an OPS+ of 107 and a slugging percentage of .442. The Marlins as a unit have 1,137 base hits, including 225 doubles and 123 homers. Miami has walked 335 times this year and they have struck out on 1,281 occasions. They have had 892 men left on base and have an OPS of .667. They have scored 3.73 runs per game and totaled 522 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Royals (+105)

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