Yordano Ventura (6-9, 4.83 ERA) and the Kansas City Royals (52-58) meet Marcus Stroman (8-4, 4.74 ERA) and the Toronto Blue Jays (63-48) in the last of a three-game series at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. The Royals won the last game 4-2, and the series is currently tied 1-1. The game gets underway at 2:15 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 7 and will air on FSKC and RSN.
In his most recent outing, Ventura pitched 5.0 innings, allowing two runs, striking out two and walking four in a 3-2 victory over the Rays. Eric Hosmer (.280, 54 Rs, 15 HRs, 61 RBIs, 5 SBs) played well again yesterday, going 2 for 3 with two RBIs. The Blue Jays were unsuccessful the last time Stroman pitched. He had a good outing, pitching 7.0 innings, allowing one run, striking out 13 and walking one in a 2-1 loss to the Astros.
Kansas City is a +125 underdog in this game, and the Over/Under (O/U) is eight runs. The Royals have a losing record of 25-46 when playing as the underdog and an overall money line of -484. They are 2-7 as the underdog over their last 10 games. Kansas City has been struggling as of late. In the last 10 games, Kansas City has only averaged 2.7 runs per game compared to the 3.8 it’s averaged on the season. Turning to the pitching staff, the Royals don’t give up many hits to opposing batters, ranking fourth in the AL with only 8.6 hits allowed per game.
Moving on to the opposing team, the Blue Jays come into this game with a solid win percentage of .622 when playing as the favorite (51-31) and an overall money line of +302. Over the past 10 matchups, the team is 7-3 SU and has played well as the favorite with a 5-2 record. Toronto is one of the top hitting teams in the league with 369 extra base hits. Toronto has an eye for the strike zone, averaging an AL-best 3.8 walks per game. Toronto’s pitching staff and defense as a whole have been firing on all cylinders so far, ranking second in the AL with only 4.0 runs allowed per game. They have a WHIP of 1.202 on the year, good for fourth in the league.
The Blue Jays are 4-1 against the Royals this season. This game will feature Stroman (RHP) on the mound against the Royals, who have a 40-44 record when they take on a right-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Blue Jays will be the right-hander Ventura. They sport a 48-31 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – TOR, O/U – Under
Notes
The Royals are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Blue Jays have a 16-14 record when opponents give up two walks or less.
When they are outhit, the Royals are 4-39. The Blue Jays have an 8-36 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 27th in home runs, Kansas City has hit 93 this season. Toronto ranks second with 159 home runs.
Ranking 12th, Toronto is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.45 per game. Kansas City ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 8.90.
Ranking 27th, Kansas City is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.709). Toronto ranks in the top 10 at ninth with an OPS of .761.
When the Blue Jays allow at least one home run, they are 37-36. When the Royals allow one or more homers, they have a 33-47 record.
