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The Kansas City Royals are looking to bounce back after a tough series against the Texas Rangers where they were swept in 3 games and outscored 16-2. As the Royals face off against the Miami Marlins, there is a golden opportunity for Kansas City to flip their luck by having their ace, Cole Ragans, command the mound tonight.
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The Marlins' lineup presents a generally favorable matchup for Ragans. While the Marlins have made minor improvements in their offensive stats over the past 30 games, they still rank 29th in On Base Percentage (OBP), On Base plus Slugging (OPS), and Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+). These statistics underscore their continued struggles at the plate, and this likely won’t change anytime soon.
Ragans ranks in the 92nd percentile for strikeout percentage (K%) and the 94th percentile for Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP). These metrics highlight his ability to get batters out and control the game, independent of the defense behind him. Cole has been a reliable force on the mound, even if his recent stats might not fully reflect it. Over his last 10 games, he has exceeded 18.5 pitching outs in only 4 outings. However, he came very close in an additional 5 games after he was pulled through 6 innings of work.
The Royals are in dire need of a strong performance to get back on track after the series with the Rangers, where no starting pitchers made it through 6 full frames. This context is crucial as it suggests that the team will heavily rely on Ragans to provide a deep and effective outing, helping to preserve their bullpen. Ragans has proven his capability to handle high pitch counts, averaging 100 pitches over his last 10 starts and surpassing 102 pitches in his last 3 games.
Bet: Cole Ragans o18.5 Pitching Outs
Take this bet independently, but also consider pairing this play with the Royals ML to get plus odds for a correlated parlay.
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