The Boston Red Sox will head west to square off against the Kansas City Royals at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. This AL showdown will begin at 8:15 p.m. ET and New England Sports Network will televise the game.
Boston Red Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Odds
Boston (-340) is entering this game as the favorite against Kansas City (+270) and oddsmakers have put the Over/Under for this game at eight runs (-120 for the over and +100 for the under). Runline odds stand at -190 for betting the Red Sox -1.5 runs and +165 for the Royals +1.5.
The Royals are just 25-61 straight up (SU) and 39-47 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 25.7 units for moneyline bettors and 15.3 units (ATS). Kansas City has a 3-4 ATS mark over its last seven games and the over has hit in four of those seven. The Red Sox have gone 59-29 SU this year and are 51-37 ATS. Overall, the team’s accumulated 17.4 units for gamblers taking the moneyline and 13.8 units ATS. Boston’s covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the under has cashed in four of those seven.
Kansas City games have an over/under record of 33-49-4 so far in 2018. The Red Sox have an over/under record of 41-44-3.
Chris Sale will get the start for Boston. The left-handed Sale is 8-4 with a 2.41 ERA and 164 strikeouts. He’s 0-0 with six strikeouts and a 1.29 ERA against Kansas City this year.
The Royals will put the ball in the right hand of Jason Hammel (2-10, 5.56 ERA, 1.54 WHIP), who has 66 strikeouts and 30 walks this season. Hammel is 0-1 with two strikeouts and a 15.43 ERA in one start against Boston this year.
Boston’s pitchers have allowed 3.7 runs per game and its starters own a 3.78 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 9.50 K/9. The bullpen has logged a solid ERA of just 3.15, along with a WHIP of 1.21 and a K/9 of 9.58.
Red Sox hitters have slashed .266/.334/.456 on their way to 5.2 runs scored per game in 2018, including 5.8 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 6.0 per game over the team’s last five contests (4-1 SU).
Boston’s offense has been led by J.D. Martinez and Andrew Benintendi, who’ve collectively blasted 39 home runs. Martinez is hitting .327/.392/.642 with 26 home runs, 71 RBIs and 60 runs scored, while Benintendi (.279/.362/.492) is up to 13 homers, 53 RBIs, 58 runs and 16 stolen bases.
In the home-team dugout, Kansas City’s pitching staff has given up 5.4 runs per game overall this year. Its starters have a 5.23 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 7.3 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 5.08 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 6.8 K/9.
The Kansas City hitters are putting up 3.5 runs per contest, including 2.5 per game over its last 10 games and 2.6 per game over their last five. The team’s hit .234/.273/.329 over its last five games and is 0-5 SU during that span.
The Royals’ offense has been led by second baseman Whit Merrifield and third baseman Mike Moustakas. Merrifield is hitting .288/.358/.411 with five home runs, 27 RBIs, 34 runs and 16 steals, while the line for Moustakas stands at .258/.312/.472 with 16 homers, 53 RBIs and 38 runs.
The Red Sox have gained 18.1 units and are 40-26 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in 32 of those games, compared to 32 that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Royals have netted 3.8 units and are 18-11 ATS when facing a lefty starter. The over has cashed in 10 of those games, compared to 19 that went under the total.
Boston Red Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Free MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Red Sox, ATS Winner – Red Sox, O/U – OVER
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Notes
Betting Notes
The over has cashed in three of Boston’s last seven contests.
The Royals have lost seven of their last eight games SU.
Boston has posted 25.0 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 25.6 over its last five.
The Red Sox have hit 16 home runs in their last 10 games. The Royals have hit six over their last 10.
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