Whit Merrifield and the struggling Kansas City Royals will head east to take on the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. 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 at Boston Red Sox Odds
Kansas City (+190) is the underdog to Boston (-210) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under for this one at 12 runs. Odds for betting on the game’s total sit at -115 for the under and -105 for the over. This game currently has a runline of Royals +1.5 (-115) and Red Sox -1.5 (-105).
The Royals are 40-73 SU and are 53-59 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 19.3 units for moneyline gamblers and 17.7 units ATS. The Red Sox, on the other hand, are 59-55 SU and 47-66 ATS. The team’s lost 23.4 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 25.9 units ATS.
Boston games have had an over/under record of 67-43-3 in 2019. Kansas City has also been a decent over bet with a total record of 55-49-8.
Mike Montgomery will get the start for the visiting Royals. The left-handed Montgomery is 1-4 with a 6.34 ERA and 23 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Red Sox this year and did not record a start against them in 2018, either.
The Red Sox are sending righty Rick Porcello (9-8, 5.74 ERA) to the mound. Porcello has 99 strikeouts and 34 walks as well as a 1.46 WHIP. Porcello only made one start against the Royals in 2018 (1-0, 3.86 ERA and nine strikeouts across seven innings).
Kansas City’s pitchers have allowed 5.3 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 5.24 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 7.39 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.77, along with a K-per-9 of 8.53.
The Royals offense has slashed .247/.312/.398 on its way to 4.3 runs scored per game this year, including 3.5 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 3.0 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 hitting .298/.353/.476 with 12 home runs, 55 RBIs, 76 runs and 16 steals, while Gordon is hitting .277 with 11 homers, 60 RBIs and 61 runs scored.
For the home team, Boston’s pitchers have given up 5.2 runs per game overall in 2019. The club’s starting pitching staff has a 5.09 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.46 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 10.6 K/9.
The Boston offense has produced 5.7 runs per outing, including 5.1 per game over its last 10 games and 3.2 per game over its last five. The team has a slash-line of .200/.271/.400 over its last five games and is 0-5 SU during that stretch.
The Red Sox hitters have been led by third baseman Rafael Devers and shortstop Xander Bogaerts. Devers is hitting .320/.369/.562 with 22 home runs, 86 RBIs and 90 runs scored, while Bogaerts has put up a line of .306/.386/.565 with 25 homers, 84 RBIs and 88 runs.
The Royals have lost 16.0 units and are 39-43 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed 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 11.1 units and are 13-20 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 20 of those games, compared to 12 which went under the total.
Royals at Red Sox Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Red Sox, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The under has cashed in only one of Kansas City’s last seven games.
- The Royals have dropped nine of their last 10 games SU.
- Kansas City fielders have four errors over the last five contests, compared to just zero errors for Boston over its last five.
- The Royals have hit seven home runs in their last 10 games, including five over their last five.
- The Royals have an OPS of .710 this season and an OPS of .724 against right-handed pitchers. The Red Sox’ OPS stands at .819 overall and .824 versus righties.
