Jeremy Guthrie (2-2, 5.70 ERA) and the Kansas City Royals (21-13) are in Texas to go up against Ross Detwiler (0-4, 7.22 ERA) and the Rangers (15-19) in a matchup that has the potential for plenty of offense. This is the last of a four-game series at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Rangers won the last game 5-2 and Texas leads the series 2-1. The game starts at 2:05 p.m. ET on Thursday, May. 14 and will air on FSN-KC and FSN-SW.
In his most recent outing, Detwiler pitched 4.0 innings, giving up five runs, striking out two and walking three in a 7-2 loss to the Rays. Prince Fielder (.346, 13 Rs, 4 HRs, 19 RBIs) continued his strong season yesterday, going 3 for 4 with one run, one home run, and two RBIs. In his pitching opportunities against the Rangers, Guthrie is 5-4 with a 3.40 ERA. He meets a struggling Texas offense that’s batting just .233. Eric Hosmer (.323, 21 Rs, 6 HRs, 27 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday.
Texas is a +106 underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is nine runs. When playing as the underdog, the Rangers have a 14-17 record and overall money line at +81. Over the last 10 games, they have had a very good record when playing as the underdog (7-3). They have been very patient at the plate during home games, ranking second in the AL with an average of 3.7 walks per game.
On the other side, the Royals have a record of 10-8 when they are favored and are +761 overall with the money line. The Royals rank third in the AL in road scoring, averaging five runs per game. Kansas City is the top hitting team in the league, converting .285 of their at-bats for hits. Opposing pitchers have routinely struggled to strike out the Kansas City batters, who average an AL-low 5.7 strikeouts per game. Switching gears to Kansas City’s pitching staff, they have the fifth-lowest ERA in the AL at 3.52. They also average just 7.7 hits allowed per game, third-best in the AL.
The Rangers are 2-1 against the Royals this season. The Rangers will take on a right-hander (Guthrie) in this game and have a 10-12 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Royals will be the left-hander Detwiler. Southpaw starters haven’t been a big issue for them as they sport an 8-4 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – KC, O/U – Over
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Texas’s last 8 games.
Texas is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Texas’s last 6 games at home.
Texas is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Texas’s last 15 games when playing Kansas City.
Texas is 15-7 SU in its last 22 games when playing at home against Kansas City.
When the Royals play into extra innings, they have a 3-0 record. The Rangers are 2-2 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Royals are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Rangers have a 6-9 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Rangers are 11-3. The Royals have an 18-4 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 17th, Texas is in the bottom half of the league in runs, scoring 139 this season. Kansas City ranks in the top five at third with 167.
Ranking 29th, Kansas City is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 73 this season. Texas ranks in the top 10 at seventh with 116.
When the Rangers hit at least one home run, they are 11-7, well-matched with the Royals who are 14-6 when hitting one or more homers.
