The Toronto Blue Jays will square off against the Kansas City Royals at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. This AL showdown will begin at 8:15 p.m. ET and fans looking to watch it can tune in to Fox Sports Kansas City.
Toronto Blue Jays at Kansas City Royals Odds
Kansas City (+120) is the home-team underdog to Toronto (-130) and oddsmakers have the Over/Under for this one at 9 runs. Odds for wagering on the game’s total stand at -110 for both the over and the under. Bettors can also wager on the game’s spread with the runline odds coming in at Blue Jays -1.5 runs (+115) and Royals +1.5 runs (-135).
The Royals are 36-83 straight up (SU) and 53-65 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 30.7 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 21.9 units (ATS). The Blue Jays are 54-65 SU and have gone 51-67 ATS. Overall, the team’s lost 9.6 units for moneyline bettors and 25.8 units ATS.
Royals games have had an over/under record of 50-61-7 in 2018. Toronto has been a decent over bet with a total record of 59-51-8.
The right-handed Marco Estrada will get the start for the visiting Blue Jays. Estrada is 5-9 with a 4.84 ERA and 80 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Royals this year and only made one start against them in 2017 (0-1, 3.86 ERA and six strikeouts across seven innings).
The Royals are planning to start righty Burch Smith (1-4, 6.97 ERA), who has 59 strikeouts and 30 walks to his credit, as well as a WHIP of 1.60. Smith is 0-0 with four strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA against Toronto this year.
As a unit, Kansas City’s pitchers have allowed 5.5 runs per game overall this year. Its starters have a 5.30 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 5.35 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 7.1 K/9.
The Kansas City offense is putting up 3.7 runs per contest, including 3.0 per game over its last 10 games and 2.6 per game over its last five. The team has hit .231/.326/.333 over its last five matchups and is 1-4 SU during that stretch.
Second baseman Whit Merrifield and third baseman Mike Moustakas have led the Royals’ hitters this year. Merrifield is hitting .299/.367/.418 with seven home runs, 38 RBIs, 55 runs and 26 steals, and the line for Moustakas stands at .249/.309/.468 with 20 homers, 62 RBIs and 46 runs scored.
For the visiting squad, Toronto’s pitching staff allowed 5.1 runs per game and its starters own a 4.86 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 7.80 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.51, along with a WHIP of 1.41.
Blue Jays hitters have slashed .242/.315/.424 on their way to 4.4 runs scored per game this year, including 3.8 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 2.0 per game over the team’s last five contests (2-3 SU).
Toronto’s offensive production has been sparked by first baseman Justin Smoak and third baseman Yangervis Solarte, who collectively have launched 35 home runs. Smoak is hitting .259/.367/.476 with 18 home runs, 59 RBIs and 50 runs scored, while Solarte is hitting .233/.287/.397 with 17 homers, 53 RBIs and 50 runs scored.
The Blue Jays have gained 4.5 units and are 33-42 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has cashed in 39 of those games, compared to 32 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Royals have lost 27.3 units and are 32-47 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over’s cashed in 37 of those games, compared to 37 that went under the total.
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Kansas City Royals MLB Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Blue Jays, ATS Winner – Blue Jays, O/U – UNDER
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Notes
Betting Trends
The over has hit in three of Toronto’s last seven games.
Kansas City has recorded 18.4 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 games and 17.0 over its last five.
The Blue Jays have hit 13 home runs in their last 10 games. The Royals have hit five over their last 10.
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