Whit Merrifield and the Kansas City Royals will head north to face their division rival Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. The matchup will begin at 8:10 p.m. ET and fans can tune in to NBC Sports Chicago to catch the action.
Kansas City Royals at Chicago White Sox Odds
Kansas City (+120) is hosting this game as the underdog against Chicago (-130) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under for this night game at 9.5 runs (+100 for the over and -120 for the under). This game currently has a runline of Royals +1.5 (-175) and White Sox -1.5 (+155).
The White Sox are 5-9 straight up (SU) and 4-9 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 3.4 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 8.3 units ATS. On the other hand, the Royals have gone 5-10 SU this year and are 8-6 ATS. In total, the team’s lost 6.1 units for moneyline gamblers over the early part of the season, but have gained 1.8 units ATS.
White Sox games have a 10-3 over/under record so far in 2019. The Royals have also been a decent over bet with a total record of 10-3-1.
Heath Fillmyer (0-0, 15.00 ERA) is getting the nod for the visiting Royals. The right-handed Fillmyer started 13 games last year while finishing the season 4-2 overall with a 4.26 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP.
The White Sox have tabbed righty Ervin Santana (0-1, 17.18 ERA) as their starter. Santana started 5 games last year and finished the season 0-1 overall with an 8.03 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP.
Kansas City’s pitching staff allowed 5.5 runs per game and its starters own a 4.68 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 8.82 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 6.93, along with a WHIP of 1.31 and a K/9 of 7.48.
Royals hitters have slashed .251/.323/.433 on their way to 4.9 runs scored per game in 2019, including 5.0 runs per game against divisional foes and 6.2 per game over the team’s last five contests (3-2 SU).
Kansas City’s offense has been led by second baseman Whit Merrifield and left fielder Alex Gordon. Merrifield is hitting .328/.357/.522 with 22 hits, seven RBIs, 14 runs and five steals, while Gordon (.360/.452/.640) is up to 18 hits, three homers, 13 RBIs and 13 runs scored.
In the home-team dugout, Chicago’s pitchers have allowed 6.4 runs per game overall in 2019. Its starters have a 6.78 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 5.55 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 9.1 K/9. In five divisional games, White Sox starters have an ERA of 2.79 and the bullpen’s ERA is 8.31.
Chicago’s offense is putting up 4.6 runs per outing, including 5.2 per game against divisional foes and 4.0 per game over its last five. The team’s hit .222/.293/.392 over its last five games and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.
The White Sox batters have been led by shortstop Tim Anderson and third baseman Yoan Moncada. Anderson is slashing .429/.440/.653 with three home runs, 10 RBIs, nine runs and five steals, while Moncada’s line sits at .328/.371/.586 with three homers, 13 RBIs and 13 runs scored.
The Royals have lost 4.0 units and are 6-4 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in eight of those games, compared to two that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the White Sox have lost 3.2 units and are 2-6 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over’s hit in seven of those games, compared to one that’ve gone under.
Royals at White Sox Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – White Sox, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – UNDER
Betting Trends
- The under has cashed in just two of Chicago’s last seven games.
- The Kansas City defense has coughed up three errors over the last 10 games, compared to nine errors for Chicago over its last 10.
- The Royals have hit 14 home runs in their last 10 games, including 10 over their last five.
- The Royals have a team OPS of .756 this season and an OPS of .770 when facing right-handed pitchers. The White Sox’ OPS stands at .710 overall and .732 versus righties.
