Tom Koehler (9-8, 3.82 ERA) and Edinson Volquez (9-10, 5.04 ERA) take the hill in the last of a three-game series between the Miami Marlins (66-60) and the Kansas City Royals (65-61) at Marlins Park. The Marlins won the last game 3-0, and the series is currently tied 1-1. Action begins at 7:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 25 and can be seen on FSKC and FSFL.
Koehler pitched 6.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering two runs and striking out two in a 6-5 win over the Pirates. Giancarlo Stanton (.244, 52 Rs, 25 HRs, 70 RBIs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 3 for 5 with one run, one home run, and three RBIs. Volquez went 4.1 innings, surrendering four runs, striking out five and walking one in a 5-4 win over the Twins in his most recent start. Eric Hosmer (.275, 61 Rs, 17 HRs, 73 RBIs, 5 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday.
Kansas City is a narrow -109 favorite over Miami. According to the oddsmakers, the Over/Under (O/U) is currently eight runs. The Marlins have an overall money line of +314 and a record as the underdog of 35-30. In interleague play, they have a 4-4 record when they were the underdog and 6-10 SU. The Marlins have seen an uptick in scoring against teams in the AL, averaging 4.8 runs per game. They average 4.2 runs per game on the season. Opposing batters know they’re in for a battle when they play Miami. The Marlins are one of the top teams when it comes to pitching, allowing just 4.1 runs per game. The Marlins are the fourth-best team in the NL at limiting hits during home games, allowing only 8.1 hits per game to their opponents this season.
Over in the other dugout, Kansas City is coming in with an overall money line of +737 and an impressive record of 32-12 as the favorite. They have managed to pull off a perfect record over their last ten games playing as the favorite, and have a 9-1 SU record over the same span. Offensively, the Royals have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 3.9 runs per game by averaging 5.0 during that stretch. Shifting to the pitching staff and defense, the Royals allow just 4.1 runs per game, ranking them second in the AL.
The Marlins have a 45-52 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Volquez takes the mound. Koehler (RHP) will be on the hill against the Royals, who have a 50-46 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – KC, O/U – Under
Notes
Kansas City has won 46% (25-29) of its games when leading after seven innings. However, Miami has won 49% (28-29) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Royals didn’t score any runs in their last game. The Marlins have a 9-0 record when they don’t allow any runs.
When they outhit their opponents, the Royals are 51-17. The Marlins have a 54-15 record when outhitting opponents.
Both falling near the bottom of the league based on total runs this season, Miami ranks 21st with 531 runs and Kansas City is 27th with 496.
Ranking 30th, Kansas City is at the bottom of the league in walks, notching 292 this season. Miami ranks near the bottom at 25th with 355.
The Marlins are 47-30 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Royals are 43-33 when they hit at least one homer.
