Kyle Lohse (3-7, 6.27 ERA) and Edinson Volquez (5-4, 3.07 ERA) are on the hill in the first of a two-game series between the Milwaukee Brewers (24-40) and the Kansas City Royals (34-25) at Miller Park. Action begins at 8:10 p.m. ET on Monday, Jun. 15 and can be seen on FSN-KC and FSN-WI.
Lohse is 6-6 with a 3.96 ERA in his appearances against the Royals, and goes up against a good Kansas City offense which is batting .266 this season. Volquez is 7-4 with a 4.18 ERA against the Brewers in his career. He is up against a below-average Milwaukee offense that’s batting just .232.
Kansas City is a slim -109 favorite over Milwaukee. The matchup has an estimated Over/Under (O/U) of eight runs. The Brewers have an overall money line of -1,375 and a record as the underdog of 18-23. Milwaukee has gone 5-2 in its last 10 as underdog. The Brewers have seen an uptick in scoring against teams in the AL, averaging 4.6 runs per game. They average 3.7 runs per game on the season. Milwaukee’s pitching staff has been doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, only allowing an average of 3.5 runs per game, well under their season average of 4.7.
In games where it is the favorite, Kansas City has a 19-13 record and an overall money line of +718. Kansas City has put in a great performance against interleague opponents, coming in with a nice record SU ({betdsi.at.nl.su_record}) and as the favorite (4-1). Offensively, they average 4.2 runs per game, which is good for fifth in the AL. The Royals are tough outs for opponents, leading the AL with 9.5 hits per road game. Kansas City’s pitching staff is one of the top in the AL, with a 3.38 ERA. When it comes to preventing batters from getting hits, the Royals are the best in the AL with an average of 7.7 hits allowed per game.
The Brewers have a bad 9-17 record at home (18-32 overall) against right-handed starting pitchers, which is what they’ll be facing when Volquez takes the mound. Lohse (RHP) will be on the hill against the Royals, who have a 24-16 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – KC, O/U – Over
Notes
For the seventh time this season, the Royals registered at least two errors in a game.
The Royals are 3-1 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Brewers are 2-2 in such matchups.
The Royals are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Brewers have a 16-26 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Brewers are 17-4. The Royals have a 29-4 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 27th, Milwaukee is near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 234 this season. Kansas City ranks in the bottom half at 17th with 251.
Ranking 30th, Kansas City is at the bottom of the league in walks, notching 122 this season. Milwaukee ranks near the bottom at 26th with 144.
When the Brewers hit at least one home run, they are 20-14. When the Royals hit at least one homer, they have a 23-11 record.
