Rafael Devers and the Boston Red Sox will be taking on the Kansas City Royals at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium in a Wednesday showdown. The game gets underway 8:15 p.m. ET and Fox Sports Kansas City will broadcast this AL matchup.
Boston Red Sox at Kansas City Royals Odds
Bookmakers have Boston (-220) as the favorite over Kansas City (+200). If you’re thinking the game’s total is going to go below 8.5 runs, then bookmakers are offering -120 odds for the under. Picking the over will give you even money (+100). There’s a runline of Red Sox -1.5 (-150) and Royals +1.5 (+130) for this matchup.
The Red Sox have gone 31-29 SU this year and are 24-35 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 14.0 units for moneyline bettors and 14.3 units ATS. Boston is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the total has gone over in four of those seven. The Royals, on the other hand, are 19-41 SU and 29-30 ATS. They’ve lost 14.2 units for moneyline bettors and 10.1 units ATS. Kansas City has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in six of those seven.
Kansas City games have had an over/under record of 29-26-4 thus far in 2019. The Red Sox have been a decent over bet with a total record of 33-24-2.
Chris Sale is getting the nod for Boston. The southpaw Sale is 1-7 with a 4.35 ERA and 98 strikeouts. He has yet to face Kansas City this year, but he did make two starts against the Royals in 2018, putting together a 1-0 record against them with a 1.38 ERA and 18 strikeouts.
The Royals are handing the ball to righty Jakob Junis (4-5, 5.35 ERA), who has 61 strikeouts and 25 walks as well as a 1.44 WHIP. Junis only made one start against the Red Sox in 2018 (0-0, 3.00 ERA and five strikeouts across six innings).
Boston’s pitchers have allowed 4.8 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 4.69 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 9.44 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 4.07, along with a K/9 of 10.26.
Red Sox hitters have slashed .261/.342/.444 on their way to 5.4 runs scored per game in 2019, including 5.6 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 5.8 per game over the team’s last five contests (2-3 SU).
Boston’s offense has been fueled by third baseman Rafael Devers and shortstop Xander Bogaerts, who collectively have belted 20 home runs. Devers is slashing .314/.373/.498 with eight home runs, 35 RBIs, 43 runs and seven stolen bases, while Bogaerts (.304/.383/.545) is up to 12 homers, 40 RBIs and 48 runs scored.
In the other dugout, Kansas City’s pitchers have yielded 5.3 runs per game overall in 2019. Its starters have a 5.48 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.95 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 8.9 K/9.
The Kansas City hitters are putting up 4.3 runs per outing, including 3.6 per game over its last 10 games and 2.4 per game over their last five. The team has slashed .243/.280/.399 over its last five contests and is 1-4 SU during that stretch.
Second baseman Whit Merrifield and shortstop Adalberto Mondesi have led the Royals’ hitters this year. Merrifield is hitting .293/.347/.494 with seven home runs, 28 RBIs, 41 runs and eight stolen bases, while Mondesi’s line is .285/.320/.485 with six homers, 42 RBIs, 35 runs and 22 steals.
The Red Sox have lost 5.6 units and are 19-23 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has hit in 24 of those games, as opposed to 17 that’ve hit the under against righties. On the other hand, the Royals have lost 2.1 units and are 8-7 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in five of those games, as opposed to eight that’ve gone under.
Red Sox at Royals MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Red Sox, ATS Winner – Red Sox, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- The over has cashed in four of Boston’s last seven outings.
- The Royals have lost seven of their last eight games SU.
- Kansas City has recorded 21.6 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 19.2 over its last five.
- The Red Sox have hit 16 home runs in their last 10 games, including nine over their last five.
- The Red Sox have a total OPS of .787 this season and an OPS of .795 when facing right-handed pitchers. The Royals’ OPS stands at .727 overall and .750 against righties.
