Jonathan Villar and the Baltimore Orioles will square off against the Kansas City Royals at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium in a Sunday day game. Fox Sports Kansas City will be televising this AL matchup. The first pitch will be at 2:15 p.m. ET.
Baltimore Orioles vs. Kansas City Royals Odds
Bookmakers have Baltimore (+110) as the underdog to Kansas City (-120). If you’re thinking this game’s total is going to finish under 10 runs scored, then bookmakers are putting up -120 odds. Playing the over will return even money (+100). There’s a runline of Orioles +1.5 (-190) and Royals -1.5 (+165) for this matchup.
The Royals are 48-89 straight up (SU) and 63-73 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 25.8 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 23.3 units ATS. The Orioles have gone 45-90 SU this year and are 58-76 ATS. Overall, the team’s lost 12.3 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 22.0 units ATS.
Royals games have a 64-64-8 over/under record in 2019. The Orioles have been a decent over bet with a total record of 68-57-9.
Aaron Brooks will get the nod for the visiting Orioles. The right-handed Brooks (4-7, 5.79 ERA) has racked up 71 strikeouts in 88.2 innings so far. He’s 1-0 with four strikeouts and a 1.80 ERA against Kansas City this year.
The Royals are putting the ball in the left hand of Danny Duffy (5-6, 4.93 ERA, 1.41 WHIP), who has 90 punchouts and 36 walks this season. Duffy has yet to face the Orioles this year and only made one start against them in 2018 (1-0, 1.69 ERA and five strikeouts across 5.1 innings).
Baltimore’s pitchers have allowed 6.2 runs per game and its starters own a 5.65 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 7.20 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 6.12, along with a WHIP of 1.41.
Orioles hitters have slashed .246/.311/.414 on their way to 4.4 runs scored per game in 2019, including 5.5 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 6.6 per game over the team’s last five outings (3-2 SU).
Baltimore’s hitters have been led by second baseman Jonathan Villar and right fielder Trey Mancini, who’ve collectively swatted 49 home runs. Villar is slashing .279/.348/.464 with 20 home runs, 62 RBIs, 92 runs and 32 stolen bases, while Mancini (.275/.349/.518) is up to 29 homers, 74 RBIs and 89 runs scored.
For the home team, Kansas City’s pitchers have allowed 5.4 runs per game overall this year. Its starting pitching staff has a 5.24 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 5.06 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 8.5 K/9.
The Kansas City hitters are putting up 4.2 runs per outing, including 4.1 per game over its last 10 games and 4.8 per game over their last five. The team’s hit .257/.326/.413 over its last five games and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.
Second baseman Whit Merrifield and left fielder Alex Gordon have led the Royals’ batters this year. Merrifield is slashing .300/.350/.468 with 15 home runs, 68 RBIs, 90 runs and 17 steals, while Gordon’s line sits at .259/.333/.396 with 12 homers, 64 RBIs and 68 runs scored.
The Orioles have gained 1.5 units and are 23-27 ATS when facing a lefty starter this season. The over has hit in 25 of those games, compared to 21 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Royals have lost 20.7 units and are 46-54 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in 48 of those games, as opposed to 48 that’ve gone under.
Orioles vs. Royals Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Royals, ATS Winner – Orioles, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The under has hit in just two of Kansas City’s last seven games.
- Baltimore has recorded 23.9 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 29.0 over its last five.
- The Orioles have hit 17 home runs in their last 10 games. The Royals have hit 11 over their last 10.
- The Orioles have a total OPS of .725 this season, including an OPS of .743 against left-handed pitchers. The Royals’ OPS sits at .705 overall and .689 against southpaws.