Whit Merrifield and the slumping Kansas City Royals are ready to take the field against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in a Tuesday night game. This AL showdown will get going at 7:10 p.m. ET and fans can tune in to Fox Sports Kansas City to catch the action.
Kansas City Royals vs. Boston Red Sox Odds
Las Vegas has Kansas City (+182) as the underdog to Boston (-195). The total currently stands at 11 runs and gamblers can play the over or the under for -110. There’s a runline of Royals +1.5 (-120) and Red Sox -1.5 (+100) for this matchup.
The Red Sox are 60-55 straight up (SU) and 47-67 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 24.6 units for moneyline bettors and 26.9 units ATS. Boston hasn’t covered the spread in any of its last seven games and the total has gone over in five of those seven. The Royals have gone 40-74 SU this year and are 53-60 ATS. In total, the team’s lost 20.3 units for moneyline bettors and 18.9 units ATS. Kansas City has covered the spread only once in its last seven games and the total has gone over in five of those seven.
Red Sox games have an over/under record of 68-43-3 in 2019. Kansas City has an over/under record of 55-50-8.
Right-hander Jakob Junis is the projected starter for Kansas City. Junis (6-10, 5.03 ERA) has recorded 126 strikeouts in 132.1 innings so far. He’s 0-1 with five strikeouts and a 9.64 ERA against Boston this year.
The Red Sox are putting the ball in the hands of righty Andrew Cashner (10-6, 4.51 ERA), who has 82 strikeouts and 39 walks as well as a WHIP of 1.30. Cashner hasn’t faced the Royals yet this year, but he made two starts against them in 2018, posting a 0-1 record with a 5.56 ERA.
Kansas City’s pitching staff allowed 5.3 runs per game and its starters own a 5.23 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 7.44 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 4.80, along with a K/9 of 8.48.
Royals hitters have slashed .247/.312/.400 on their way to 4.3 runs scored per game in 2019, including 3.6 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 3.6 per game over the team’s last five outings (0-5 SU).
Second baseman Whit Merrifield and left fielder Alex Gordon continue to lead Kansas City’s offense. Merrifield is slashing .300/.355/.478 with 12 home runs, 55 RBIs, 76 runs and 16 stolen bases, while Gordon has a .273 average with 11 homers, 60 RBIs and 61 runs scored.
For the home team, Boston’s pitchers have allowed 5.2 runs per game overall this season. Its starting pitching staff has a 5.05 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.49 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 10.6 K/9.
Boston’s hitters are putting up 5.7 runs per outing, including 4.8 per game over its last 10 games and 3.8 per game over their last five. The team’s hit .205/.289/.379 over its last five contests and is 1-4 SU during that stretch.
The Red Sox batters have been led by third baseman Rafael Devers and shortstop Xander Bogaerts. Devers is hitting .322/.370/.568 with 23 home runs, 87 RBIs and 92 runs scored, and Bogaerts has put up a line of .307/.387/.563 with 25 homers, 85 RBIs and 89 runs.
The Royals have lost 16.0 units and are 39-43 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in 42 of those games, compared to 36 that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Red Sox have lost 12.3 units and are 34-46 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in 47 of those games, as opposed to 31 which went under the total.
Royals at Red Sox Free MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Red Sox, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The under has hit in just two of Boston’s last seven games.
- The Royals have dropped 10 of their last 11 games SU.
- Boston has posted 23.4 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 17.0 over its last five.
- The Royals have hit nine home runs in their last 10 games, including eight over their last five.
- The Royals have a total OPS of .711 this season and an OPS of .725 against right-handed pitchers. The Red Sox’ OPS sits at .820 overall and .823 against righties.
