The Kansas City Royals are preparing to square off against the Oakland Athletics in a Wednesday showdown. The first pitch is scheduled for 3:37 p.m. ET and Fox Sports Kansas City will be televising this AL matchup.
Kansas City Royals vs. Oakland Athletics Odds
Kansas City (+200) is coming into this one as the underdog to Oakland (-220) and Vegas has set the Over/Under for this day game at 9.5 runs (-115 for the over and -105 for the under). The game’s current runline odds sit at -110 for picking the Royals +1.5 runs and -110 for the Athletics -1.5.
The Royals have gone 56-96 SU this year and are 70-81 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 20.1 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 24.4 units ATS. Kansas City is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the over has hit in five of those seven. The Athletics, on the other hand, are 91-61 SU and 86-65 ATS. They’ve gained 23.4 units for moneyline bettors and 19.4 units ATS. Oakland has covered the spread six times in its last seven games and the total has gone over in four of those seven.
Oakland games have an over/under record of 70-76-5 in 2019. Kansas City has been a decent over bet with a total record of 75-68-8.
The left-handed Danny Duffy is projected to start for the visiting Royals. Duffy (6-6, 4.55 ERA) has racked up 104 strikeouts in 118.2 innings so far. He has yet to face the Athletics this year and only made one start against them in 2018 (1-0, 0.00 ERA and 10 strikeouts over seven innings).
The Athletics are putting the ball in the hands of righty Homer Bailey (13-8, 4.76 ERA), who has 135 punchouts and 52 walks, along with a 1.34 WHIP. Bailey is 1-0 with three strikeouts and a 4.50 ERA in one start against Kansas City this year.
As a unit, Oakland’s pitching staff has allowed 4.3 runs per game overall this year. The team’s starters have an ERA of 4.11, a WHIP of 1.26 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 7.0. The bullpen has a 4.01 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 9.2 K/9.
The Oakland hitters are putting up 5.3 runs per outing, including 6.7 per game over its last 10 games and 7.0 per game over their last five. The team has a slash-line of .264/.348/.562 over its last five games and is 4-1 SU during that span.
The Athletics’ offense has been led by shortstop Marcus Semien and third baseman Matt Chapman. Semien is slashing .282/.365/.516 with 31 home runs, 87 RBIs and 117 runs scored, while Chapman’s line is .247/.339/.508 with 34 homers, 85 RBIs and 96 runs.
In the visiting dugout, Kansas City’s pitchers have allowed 5.3 runs per game and its starters own a 5.20 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 7.24 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 5.07, along with a WHIP of 1.43.
The Royals offense has slashed .245/.309/.400 on its way to 4.2 runs scored per game this season, including 3.6 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 2.4 per game over the team’s last five contests (1-4 SU).
Kansas City’s offense has been powered by second baseman Whit Merrifield and right fielder Jorge Soler. Merrifield is hitting .305/.352/.469 with 16 home runs, 74 RBIs, 100 runs and 18 stolen bases, while Soler (.258/.346/.558) has produced 45 homers, 109 RBIs and 86 runs scored.
The Royals have lost 14.9 units and are 52-59 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has cashed in 55 of those games, as opposed to 52 that’ve hit the under against righty starters. On the other hand, the Athletics have netted 18.4 units and are 28-14 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 20 of those games, as opposed to 20 which went under the total.
Royals vs. Athletics MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Athletics, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- The under has cashed in only two of Kansas City’s last seven games.
- The Royals have a total OPS of .709 this season and an OPS of .717 against right-handed pitchers. The Athletics’ OPS stands at .782 overall and .772 against righties.
- The Athletics have won seven of their last eight games SU.
- Kansas City has posted 20.4 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 19.2 over its last five.
- The Royals have hit 13 home runs in their last 10 games. The Athletics have hit 22 over their last 10.
