The Kansas City Royals are set to host the New York Yankees at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. This AL matchup will begin at 2:15 p.m. ET and Fox Sports Kansas City will be televising the game.
New York Yankees at Kansas City Royals Odds
Kansas City (+165) is coming into this one as the underdog against New York (-175) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under for this afternoons game at 9 runs. The odds for betting on the game’s total stand at -120 for the over and +100 for the under. You can also bet on the games runline with the most recent odds sitting at -120 for the Yankees -1.5 runs and +100 for the Royals +1.5 runs.
The Royals are 14-31 SU and 20-24 ATS. The teams lost 12.3 units for moneyline bettors and 8.0 units against the spread (ATS). Kansas City has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the under has hit in four of those seven. The Yankees are 29-13 SU and have gone 22-19 ATS. In total, the teams gained 7.8 units for moneyline bettors in this young season and 2.5 units ATS. New Yorkhas covered the spread just twice over its last seven games and the under has cashed in four of those seven.
Kansas City games have a 17-25-2 over/under record so far in 2018. Yankees games have gone over 23 times, gone under 17 times and pushed on one occasion.
Right-hander Sonny Gray will get the start for the visiting Bronx Bombers. Gray is 2-3 with a 6.39 ERA and 32 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Royals this year and did not record a start against them in 2017, either.
The Royals are going with lefty Eric Skoglund (1-3, 5.58 ERA), who’s got 32 strikeouts and 10 walks to his credit, as well as a WHIP of 1.24. Skoglund did not record a start against the Yankees in 2017.
As a unit, Kansas City’s pitching staff has yielded 5.7 runs per game overall this season. Its starters have a 5.49 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 7.2 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 5.38 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 6.5 K/9.
Kansas City’s offense is putting up 4.0 runs per contest, including 4.0 per game over its last 10 games and 3.4 per game over its last five. The team has hit .248/.320/.366 over its last five contests and is 1-4 SU during that span.
Outfielder Jorge Soler and third baseman Mike Moustakas have led the way for the Royals’ offense this year. Soler is slashing .303/.405/.497 with five home runs, 20 RBIs and 20 runs scored, and Moustakas is hitting .295 with 10 homers, 31 RBIs and 27 runs.
Soler performed well at home last season. Across 53 plate appearances, he slashed .213/.302/.404 (compared to his total season line of .144/.245/.258).
In the visiting dugout, New York’s pitching staff allowed 4.1 runs per game and its starters own a 3.77 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 8.61 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 3.45, along with a K-per-9 of 12.62.
Yankees hitters have slashed .254/.343/.450 on their way to 5.7 runs scored per game in 2018, including 5.6 runs per game over the teams last 10 games and 5.6 per game over the teams last five outings (3-2 SU).
Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton have led New York’s hitters. Judge is hitting .289/.421/.560 with 11 home runs, 35 RBIs and 33 runs scored, while Stanton is slashing .259/.344/.524 with 11 homers, 27 RBIs and 31 runs scored.
Judge didn’t perform especially well against lefties on the road last season, maintaining a slash line of .175/.390/.456 across 77 such plate appearances (his total season line was .284/.422/.627).
The Yankees have gained 4.5 units and are 7-6 ATS when facing a lefty starter this season. The over has cashed in five of those games, compared to eight that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Royals have lost 15.1 units and are 9-17 ATS when facing a righty starter. The overs hit in 10 of those games, compared to 14 that went under.
New York Yankees at Kansas City Royals Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Yankees, ATS Winner – Yankees, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The Yankees have hit 15 home runs in their last 10 games, including 11 over their last five.
- New York has averaged 22.6 runs + hits + errors over its last 10 outings and 26.4 over its last five.
- The Yankees have won three of their last four games SU.
