Yordano Ventura (2-3, 5.36 ERA) and Johnny Cueto (3-3, 2.93 ERA) are on the hill in the first of a two-game series between the Kansas City Royals (24-14) and the Cincinnati Reds (18-20) at Kauffman Stadium. Action begins at 8:10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May. 19 and can be seen on FSN-OH and FSN-KC.
Ventura pitched 7.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering five runs, striking out six and walking two in a 5-2 defeat to the Rangers. Eric Hosmer (.324, 25 Rs, 7 HRs, 29 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 3 Sunday with one run. Cueto is 1-1 with a 3.75 ERA against the Royals in his career. He is up against a good Kansas City offense that’s batting .287. Todd Frazier (.250, 26 Rs, 12 HRs, 23 RBIs, 6 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Reds, going 2 for 5 Sunday with one run.
The odds for Kansas City and Cincinnati are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. Against the NL, the Royals have a 24-14 record SU. The Royals have no trouble scoring as they rank second in the AL in offense with 5.0 runs per game. The Royals are one of the best in the MLB in terms of extra base hits with 125. Kansas City strikes out the least of any team in the AL, with only 5.6 per game. As for the Kansas City defense and pitching staff, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score runs against the Royals. The 3.2 runs that Kansas City’s pitchers allow per home game makes them the top AL staff at home. The Royals are the third-best team in the AL at limiting hits to their opponents, allowing only 7.6 hits per game so far this season.
Cincinnati is 1-2 SU against teams in the AL. Offensively, the Reds have really picked up the pace in interleague games. They have exceeded their season average of 4.0 runs per game by averaging 5.0 in those contests. The Reds can change the game with one swing of the bat, ranking third in the league with 48 home runs. The Reds are an excellent base-stealing team with an MLB-best 43 stolen bases. The Reds allow 4.5 runs per game, but does worse whenever an AL opponent is on the schedule. They bring that runs allowed average up to 5.3 against teams from the AL.
The Royals have a 14-9 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Cueto takes the mound. Ventura (RHP) will be on the hill against the Reds, who have a 14-14 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – KC
Notes
Kansas City won its last game in a shutout, its first of the season. Cincinnati has been shut out two times this season.
When the Royals play into extra innings, they have a 3-0 record. The Reds are 1-3 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Reds managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Royals who are heading in with an 8-1 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Reds are 11-4. The Royals have a 21-4 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 19th in runs, Cincinnati has earned 153 this season. Kansas City ranks third with 192 runs.
Ranking 29th, Kansas City is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 81 this season. Cincinnati ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 131.
When the Royals hit at least one home run, they are 16-6. When the Reds hit at least one homer, they have a 16-11 record.
