This game could be low scoring as Chris Young (2-0, 0.78 ERA) and the Kansas City Royals (22-13) meet Michael Pineda (5-0, 2.72 ERA) and the New York Yankees (21-15) in the first of a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium. The game gets underway at 8:10 p.m. ET on Friday, May. 15 and will air on PIX11 and FSN-KC.
Young is 2-1 with a 4.97 ERA, 20 strikeouts and 12 walks against the Yankees in his career. Eric Hosmer (.333, 22 Rs, 7 HRs, 29 RBIs, 2 SBs) continued his strong season yesterday, going 3 for 5 with one run, one home run, and two RBIs. In his career against the Royals, Pineda is 2-2 with a 1.65 ERA. He meets a strong Kansas City offense that’s batting .287. Jacoby Ellsbury (.348, 27 Rs, 1 HR, 6 RBIs, 12 SBs) has been doing well, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one stolen base.
Kansas City is a small +104 underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at seven runs. The Royals have a winning record of 11-5 when playing as the underdog and an overall money line of +861. They are 3-1 as the underdog over their last 10 games. The Royals lead the AL in hits with 9.9 per game. Below average play has been the norm lately for the Kansas City pitchers. The Royals have given up an average of 4.8 runs to opponents in their last 10 games, above their season average of 3.7 runs per game.
Moving on to the opposing team, the Yankees come into this game with a solid win percentage of .647 when playing as the favorite (11-6) and an overall money line of +692. Over the past 10 matchups, they are 5-5 SU and have played well as the favorite with a 4-1 record. New York is one of the top home-run-hitting teams in the league with 44 home runs. Shifting to the pitching staff, they allow just 2.6 walks per game, good for fourth in the AL.
The Royals will take on a right-hander (Pineda) in this game and have a 13-9 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Yankees will be the right-hander Young. Right-handed starters haven’t been a big issue for them as they sport a 16-9 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – NYY, O/U – Over
Notes
The Royals are 3-0 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Yankees are 0-2 in such matchups.
Having scored one run in their last game, the Yankees are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Royals have a 6-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Royals are 19-4. The Yankees have a 13-2 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking sixth in runs, New York has earned 165 this season. Kansas City ranks third with 173 runs.
Ranking 29th, Kansas City is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 74 this season. New York ranks in the top five at third with 123.
When the Royals hit at least one home run, they are 15-6, well-matched with the Yankees who are 17-9 when hitting one or more homers.
