Kansas City Royals vs. Boston Red Sox Matchup 04/30/18

The Boston Red Sox will play host to the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park. New England Sports Network will televise this AL matchup and the action gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET.

Kansas City Royals vs. Boston Red Sox Odds

Oddsmakers have listed Boston (-215) as the favorite over Kansas City (+195). The total sits at nine runs and bettors can take the over for -105 and the under for -115. You can also bet on the game’s runline with the current odds standing at -110 for the Royals +1.5 runs and -110 for the Red Sox -1.5.

The Royals are only 7-20 SU and have gone 10-16 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 13.6 units for gamblers taking the moneyline in the season’s early going and 10.3 units ATS. Kansas City has covered the spread only twice over its last seven games and the total has gone under in four of those seven. The Red Sox, on the other hand, are 20-7 SU and 13-13 ATS. The team’s gained 9.4 units for moneyline bettors and 0.3 units ATS. Boston has covered the spread just once in its last seven games and the total has gone under in five of those seven.

Boston games have had an over/under record of 14-11-1 so far in 2018. The Royals have been a decent under bet with a total record of 9-15-2.

Jason Hammel will get the nod for Kansas City. The right-handed Hammel is 0-2 with a 3.38 ERA and 17 strikeouts. He has yet to face Boston this year, but he made two starts against the Red Sox in 2017, putting together a 2-0 record against them with a 3.21 ERA and 10 strikeouts.

The Red Sox will put the ball in the left hand of Eduardo Rodriguez (3-0, 3.63 ERA), who has 23 punchouts and eight walks as well as a 1.21 WHIP. Rodriguez only made one start against the Royals in 2017 (0-0, 9.00 ERA and five strikeouts across four innings).

Boston’s pitchers have given up 3.3 runs per game overall this season as a unit. The club’s starting pitching staff has an ERA of 3.05, a WHIP of 1.12 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 9.2. The bullpen has a 3.56 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 9.4 K/9.

The Boston offense has put up 5.5 runs per outing, including 4.1 per game over its last 10 games and 4.4 per game over its last five. The team’s hit .244/.328/.387 over its last five games and is 3-2 SU during that stretch.

Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez have led the Red Sox hitters this year. Betts is slashing .344/.439/.733 with eight home runs, 18 RBIs and 29 runs scored, while Martinez is batting .330 with five homers, 22 RBIs and 15 runs scored.

Martinez performed well at home in 2017. Across 253 plate appearances, he slashed .355/.439/.820 (compared to his total season line of .303/.376/.690).

For the visiting squad, Kansas City’s pitchers have allowed 5.6 runs per game and its starters own a 4.39 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 7.09 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 6.57, along with a K-per-9 of 6.46.

The Royals offense has slashed .243/.315/.366 on its way to 3.3 runs scored per game in 2018, including 3.6 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 3.4 per game over the team’s last five contests (2-3 SU).

Kansas City’s hitters have been led by third baseman Mike Moustakas and right fielder Jorge Soler. Moustakas is hitting .302/.331/.578 with eight home runs, 19 RBIs and 17 runs scored, while Soler (.307/.436/.467) has produced two homers, six RBIs and seven runs scored.

Maintaining a slash line of .80/.193/.120 across 57 plate appearances, Soler taken a step back when hitting on the road in 2017 (compared to his total season line of .144/.245/.258).

The Royals have lost 0.4 units and are 4-5 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has cashed in four of those games, as opposed to five that’ve hit the under against lefties. On the other hand, the Red Sox have netted 11.6 units and are 11-10 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 13 of those games, as opposed to seven that’ve gone under.

Kansas City Royals vs. Boston Red Sox MLB Pick

Predictions: SU Winner – Red Sox, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – OVER