In a game that could be a shootout, Jason Marquis (3-3, 6.63 ERA) and the Cincinnati Reds (18-21) are in Kansas City to take on Jeremy Guthrie (3-2, 5.44 ERA) and the Royals (25-14). This is the second of a two-game series at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals won the last game 3-0 and Kansas City leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 8:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May. 20 and can be seen on FSN-OH and FSN-KC.
Guthrie is 1-1 with a 5.06 ERA in his appearances against the Reds, but goes up against a below-average Cincinnati offense which is batting just .238 this season. Eric Hosmer (.322, 26 Rs, 7 HRs, 29 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run. Marquis is 3-0 with a 4.50 ERA when pitching against the Royals. He is up against a quality Kansas City offense which is hitting .287 this season. Todd Frazier (.250, 26 Rs, 12 HRs, 23 RBIs, 6 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday.
Kansas City is a -138 favorite against Cincinnati and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at eight runs. The Royals have an overall money line of +942 and a record as the favorite of 12-9. Against the NL, they have had a solid season, earning 12-9 and 24-14 records as the favorite and SU respectively. 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 128. Kansas City strikes out the least of any team in the AL, with only 5.6 per game. As for the pitchers, opposing offenses have been stifled by the Royals, who have a team ERA of only 3.38. The Royals are the second-best team in the AL at limiting hits to their opponents, allowing only 7.6 hits per game so far this season.
As for their opponent, Cincinnati is coming in with an overall money line of -197 and a disappointing record of 8-13 as the underdog. They played poorly as the underdog over their last 10 games with a 1-4 record, and a 4-6 record SU. 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 fourth 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 the edge in the season series, 1-0. The Royals have a 14-9 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Marquis takes the mound. Guthrie (RHP) will be on the hill against the Reds, who have a 14-14 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – KC, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Kansas City is 11-5, while Cincinnati is 6-9.
The Royals are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Reds have a 0-5 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
It looks like the Royals have a slight leg up on the Reds, as the Royals have won their last two games while the Reds have lost their last four.
When they outhit their opponents, the Reds are 11-4. The Royals have a 22-4 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 21st, Cincinnati sits near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 153 this season. Kansas City ranks in the top five at third with 195.
Ranking 29th, Kansas City is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 82 this season. Cincinnati ranks in the top 10 at ninth with 132.
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.
