Texas Rangers at Kansas City Royals Expert MLB Picks Against the Spread 5/16/2019

Thursday, May 16, 2019

Kauffman Stadium

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Lance Lynn vs. Homer Bailey

Whit Merrifield and the Kansas City Royals (15-27, 5th in AL Central) play the Texas Rangers (17-22, 4th in AL West) at Kauffman Stadium on Thursday, May 16, 2019. The moneyline on this game has the Rangers coming in at -109 and the Royals are at -101. The total opens at 9.5.

The Rangers have been a good play for bettors, having gone 21-18-0 against the ML. Kansas City is covering 52.4% of the time, going 22-20-0. The Royals have been a less than ideal bet for MLB bettors as favorites, going 3-3-0. The Rangers are covering 54.5% of the time as the underdog, having gone 18-15-0.

Valuable Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Rangers have been a very good Over play for O/U MLB bettors, having gone 24-14-1.

The Rangers are covering 45.0% of the time as the away team, having gone 9-11-0.

Important Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

Kansas City is covering 60.9% of the time at Kauffman Stadium, going 14-9-0.

The Royals have been a very good Over play for O/U MLB bettors, having gone 23-17-2.

Key Texas Rangers Injuries

05/14/19 SS Elvis Andrus Hamstring left last game, is questionable Wednesday vs Kansas City Royals
05/09/19 P Shawn Kelley Infection 10-day IL (05/06)
04/26/19 P Taylor Hearn Elbow 10-day IL (04/26)
04/13/19 P Edinson Volquez Elbow 60-day IL (04/05)
04/01/19 P Yohander Mendez Elbow 60-day IL (04/01)
03/25/19 P Luke Farrell Jaw 60-day IL (03/28)
03/25/19 RF Scott Heineman Shoulder 60-day IL

Key Kansas City Royals Injuries

04/27/19 1B Lucas Duda Back 10-day IL (04/24)
03/25/19 C Salvador Perez Elbow is out for season
03/25/19 P Trevor Oaks Hip 60-day IL (03/25)
03/25/19 P Brian Flynn Elbow 10-day IL (03/25)
03/25/19 P Eric Skoglund Suspension 80 game suspension
03/25/19 P Jesse Hahn Elbow 60-day IL (03/25)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Rangers have a 17-22 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Lance Lynn has a 4-3 record with an earned run average of 5.48 and a WHIP of 1.49 this season. He has 44 strikeouts over his 47.2 innings pitched and he's given up 54 hits. He's allowed 10.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.09. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.05 and they have given up 170 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .269 against the bullpen and they've struck out 129 hitters and walked 74 batters. As a team, Texas allows 9.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.7 batters per nine innings. They are 30th in the league in team earned run average at 5.52. The Rangers pitchers collectively have given up 376 base hits and 211 earned runs. They have allowed 57 home runs this season, ranking them 10th in the league. Texas as a pitching staff has walked 164 batters and struck out 294. They have walked 4.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.57 and their FIP as a unit is 5.16.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Texas is hitting .245, good for 17th in the league. The Rangers hold a .444 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .330, which is good for 11th in baseball. They rank 17th in MLB with 8.4 hits per game. Shin-Soo Choo is hitting .287 with an on-base percentage of .386. He has 41 hits this season in 143 at bats with 14 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .476 and an OPS+ of 123. Elvis Andrus is hitting .325 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .373. He has totaled 51 hits and he has driven in 26 men in 157 at bats. His OPS+ is 127 while his slugging percentage is at .510. The Rangers have 326 hits, including 75 doubles and 57 home runs. Texas has walked 155 times so far this season and they have struck out 390 times as a unit. They have left 253 men on base and have a team OPS of .774. They score 5.59 runs per contest and have scored a total of 218 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Kansas City has a 15-27 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.83, Homer Bailey has a 4-3 record and a 1.32 WHIP. He has 38 strikeouts over the 41 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 38 hits. He's allowing 8.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.69. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.64 and they have given up 143 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .257 against the Royals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 139 batters and walked 62 opposing hitters. As a team, Kansas City allows 9 hits per nine innings while striking out 8 batters per nine innings. They are 27th in the league in team earned run average at 5.01. The Royals pitchers as a team have surrendered 372 base knocks and 206 earned runs this season. They have given up 49 home runs this year, which ranks 21st in Major League Baseball. Kansas City as a staff has walked 160 hitters and struck out 327 batters. They give up a walk 3.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.44 while their FIP as a staff is 4.55.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .244, good for 18th in the league. The Royals hold a .427 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .317, which is good for 18th in baseball. They rank 20th in MLB with 8.2 hits per contest. Whit Merrifield comes into this matchup batting .297 with an OBP of .354. He has 51 hits this year along with 20 RBI in 172 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .529 with an OPS+ of 135. Adalberto Mondesi is hitting .268 this season and he has an OBP of .302. He has collected 45 hits in 168 at bats while driving in 34 runs. He has an OPS+ of 109 and a slugging percentage of .488. The Royals as a unit have 345 base hits, including 72 doubles and 48 homers. Kansas City has walked 140 times this year and they have struck out on 358 occasions. They have had 275 men left on base and have an OPS of .744. They have scored 4.69 runs per game and totaled 197 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Rangers -109

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