Danny Duffy (5-5, 4.19 ERA) and the Kansas City Royals (68-46) go up against Jered Weaver (4-8, 4.69 ERA) and the Los Angeles Angels (60-54) in the second of a four-game series at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. The Angels won the last game 7-6 and Los Angeles leads the series 1-0. The game starts at 8:10 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 14 and will air on FSKC and FSW.
In his most recent outing, Duffy pitched 3.1 innings, giving up three runs, striking out two and walking one in a 5-4 loss to the White Sox. Lorenzo Cain (.319, 74 Rs, 12 HRs, 52 RBIs, 21 SBs) continued his strong season yesterday, going 2 for 5 with one RBI. The Angels were unsuccessful the last time Weaver pitched. He had a good outing, pitching 5.0 innings, allowing two runs and striking out seven in a 5-4 loss to the Orioles. Mike Trout (.300, 79 Rs, 33 HRs, 70 RBIs, 10 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one run and one RBI.
Kansas City is a -133 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at eight runs. The Royals have a winning record of 38-22 when playing as the favorite and an overall money line of +2,042. They are 6-2 as the favorite over their last 10 games. Don’t expect the Kansas City hitters to swing wildly. They average an AL-low 5.8 strikeouts per game. Turning to the pitching staff, the Royals are fifth in the AL in hits allowed with just 8.2 per game.
Moving on to the away team, the Angels come into this game with a weak win percentage of .386 when playing as the underdog (17-27) and an overall money line of -114. Over the last 10 games, they were winless as the underdog with a 0-2 record and 4-6 SU. The Angels will be looking to pick it up in this one after recent offensive struggles. In their 10 most recent games, Los Angeles’s run production has dropped to 2.9 runs per game, compared to 4.3 for the duration of the season. The Angels are known for their bats, hitting 300 extra base hits. Opposing pitchers have routinely struggled to strike out the Los Angeles batters, who rank third in the AL with 7.2 strikeouts per road game. Shifting to the pitching staff, they allow just 2.6 walks per game, second-best in the AL.
The Royals are 3-1 against the Angels this season. The Royals will take on a right-hander (Weaver) in this game. They have done very well against right-handed starting pitchers this season (46-27), especially at home where they have a 26-11 record. The left-handed Duffy will take the mound against the Angels, who have a 16-12 record against lefty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAA, O/U – Over
Notes
Los Angeles recorded at least two errors for the 11th time this season.
The Royals managed to give up five walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Angels who are coming in with a 13-6 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Royals are 9-37. The Angels have a 12-39 record when opponents outhit them.
Kansas City ranks near the bottom of the league at 26th when it comes to home runs, hitting 90 this season. Los Angeles ranks in the top 10 at eighth with 122.
Ranking 12th, Los Angeles is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.25 per game. Kansas City ranks in the top five at second with 9.14.
Ranking 21st, Los Angeles is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.700). Kansas City ranks in the top 10 at ninth with an OPS of .731.
The Angels are 31-44 when they allow at least one home run. The Royals perform similarly when they allow one or more homers with a 29-32 record.
