Kansas City Royals at Texas Rangers Expert MLB Picks Against the Spread 5/31/2019
Friday, May 31, 2019
Globe Life Park
Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.
Probable Pitchers: Danny Duffy vs. Ariel Jurado
Whit Merrifield and the Kansas City Royals (18-37, 5th in AL Central) are headed to Globe Life Park on Friday where they'll meet the Texas Rangers (27-26, 3rd in AL West). The odds on this contest have the Royals coming in at +100 and the Rangers are at -110. The over/under has been set at 10.5.
The Royals have been strong for Las Vegas oddsmakers oddsmakers, having gone 18-37-0 SU. Texas is covering 50.9% of the time, going 27-26-0 straight up. The Rangers have been a great option for baseball wagerers as a favorite, going 8-3-0 SU. Kansas City is covering 30.6% of the time as an underdog, having gone 15-34-0 straight up.
Valuable Kansas City Royals Betting Trends
The Royals have been a great Over bet for over/under MLB bettors, having gone 29-22-4.
Kansas City is covering 25.9% of the time on the road, having gone 7-20-0 straight up.
Important Texas Rangers Betting Trends
Texas is covering 68.0% of the time at Globe Life Park, going 17-8-0 SU.
The Rangers have been a great Over bet for over/under MLB bettors, having gone 29-23-1.
Key Kansas City Royals Injuries
5/25/2019 Lucas Duda DH Back Expected to be out until at least Jun 4
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
2/19/2019 Jesse Hahn SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Jun 1
Key Texas Rangers Injuries
5/29/2019 Joey Gallo LF Wrist Probable for May 30
5/29/2019 Clayton Blackburn RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Jun 15
5/29/2019 Luke Farrell SP Jaw Expected to be out until at least Jun 6
5/26/2019 Taylor Hearn SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Jun 14
5/22/2019 Edinson Volquez SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Aug 2
5/22/2019 Willie Calhoun LF Quadriceps Expected to be out until at least Jun 1
5/15/2019 Scott Heineman LF Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Jun 1
4/1/2019 Yohander Mendez RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Jun 15
Useful Pitching Statistics
The Royals have a 18-37 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Danny Duffy has a 3-1 record with an earned run average of 3.12 and a WHIP of 1.33 this season. He has 27 strikeouts over his 34.2 innings pitched and he's given up 34 hits. He's allowed 8.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.92. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.86 and they have given up 203 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .267 against the bullpen and they've struck out 189 hitters and walked 85 batters. As a team, Kansas City allows 9.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 8 batters per nine innings. They are 29th in the league in team earned run average at 5.24. The Royals pitchers collectively have given up 504 base hits and 281 earned runs. They have allowed 67 home runs this season, ranking them 22nd in the league. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 211 batters and struck out 427. They have walked 3.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.48 and their FIP as a unit is 4.71.
Hitting Statistics
As a team Kansas City is hitting .246, good for 21st in the league. The Royals hold a .412 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .316, which is good for 20th in baseball. They rank 22nd in MLB with 8.3 hits per game. Whit Merrifield is hitting .295 with an on-base percentage of .353. He has 67 hits this season in 227 at bats with 28 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .507 and an OPS+ of 126. Adalberto Mondesi is hitting .277 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .311. He has totaled 61 hits and he has driven in 41 men in 220 at bats. His OPS+ is 104 while his slugging percentage is at .468. The Royals have 456 hits, including 91 doubles and 57 home runs. Kansas City has walked 175 times so far this season and they have struck out 463 times as a unit. They have left 359 men on base and have a team OPS of .728. They score 4.49 runs per contest and have scored a total of 247 runs this year.
Useful Pitching Statistics
Texas has a 27-26 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.28, Ariel Jurado has a 1-2 record and a 1.18 WHIP. He has 16 strikeouts over the 23.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 23 hits. He's allowing 8.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.52. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.13 and they have given up 240 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .271 against the Rangers bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 189 batters and walked 100 opposing hitters. As a team, Texas allows 9.7 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 5.1. The Rangers pitchers as a team have surrendered 505 base knocks and 266 earned runs this season. They have given up 70 home runs this year, which ranks 17th in Major League Baseball. Texas as a staff has walked 212 hitters and struck out 420 batters. They give up a walk 4.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.1 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.53 while their FIP as a staff is 4.78.
Hitting Statistics
As a team, they are batting .255, good for 12th in the league. The Rangers hold a .462 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .334, which is good for 9th in baseball. They rank 10th in MLB with 8.8 hits per contest. Shin-Soo Choo comes into this matchup batting .295 with an OBP of .385. He has 56 hits this year along with 24 RBI in 190 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .532 with an OPS+ of 133. Nomar Mazara is hitting .267 this season and he has an OBP of .320. He has collected 50 hits in 187 at bats while driving in 27 runs. He has an OPS+ of 97 and a slugging percentage of .455. The Rangers as a unit have 465 base hits, including 111 doubles and 82 homers. Texas has walked 198 times this year and they have struck out on 520 occasions. They have had 351 men left on base and have an OPS of .796. They have scored 5.74 runs per game and totaled 304 runs this season.
Who will win tonight's Royals/Rangers MLB game against the spread?
Josh's Pick: Take the Royals +100
Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here
Read more articles by Josh Schonwald
Get all of Today's Free MLB Picks
Get all of Today's Expert MLB Picks