The Boston Red Sox will be taking on the Kansas City Royals at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. New England Sports Network is in line to televise this AL showdown and the action gets underway at 2:15 p.m. ET.
Boston Red Sox vs. Kansas City Royals Odds
Oddsmakers are listing Kansas City (+210) as the underdog to Boston (-230). Bettors are able to wager on the games total with odds sitting at -105 for over 9.5 runs and -115 for under 9.5. The games current runline odds sit at -155 for picking the Red Sox -1.5 runs and +135 for the Royals +1.5.
The Red Sox have gone 61-29 SU this year and are 52-37 against the spread (ATS). They’ve gained 18.4 units for gamblers taking the moneyline and 14.8 units ATS. Boston has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the over has hit in four of those seven. The Royals, on the other hand, are 25-63 SU and 39-48 ATS. They’ve lost 26.7 units for moneyline bettors and 16.4 units ATS. Kansas City has covered the spread just twice over its last seven games and the total has gone over in four of those seven.
Kansas City games have an over/under record of 34-49-4 so far in 2018. Red Sox games have gone under 44 times, gone over 42 times and pushed on three occasions.
Right-hander Rick Porcello is projected to start for the visiting Red Sox. Porcello is 10-3 with a 3.57 ERA and 104 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Royals this year and only made one start against them in 2017 (0-1, 5.14 ERA and five strikeouts across seven innings).
The Royals are putting the ball in the right hand of Jakob Junis (5-10, 5.13 ERA, 1.29 WHIP), who’s got 92 strikeouts and 28 walks this season. Junis is 0-0 with five strikeouts and a 3.00 ERA in one start against Boston this year.
Boston’s pitching staff allowed 3.7 runs per game and its starters own a 3.79 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 9.67 K/9. The bullpen has a solid ERA of just 3.19, along with a WHIP of 1.21.
The Red Sox offense has slashed .269/.338/.461 on its way to 5.4 runs scored per game this year, including 6.9 runs per game over the teams last 10 games and 8.6 per game over the teams last five contests (5-0 SU).
Boston’s offense has been sparked by J.D. Martinez and Andrew Benintendi, who’ve collectively launched 41 home runs. Martinez is slashing .329/.392/.646 with 27 home runs, 74 RBIs and 64 runs scored, while Benintendi (.286/.373/.508) has produced 14 homers, 55 RBIs, 63 runs and 16 stolen bases.
In the home-team dugout, Kansas City’s pitching staff has allowed 5.6 runs per game overall in 2018. Its starters have an ERA of 5.38, a WHIP of 1.45 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 7.2. The bullpen has a 5.28 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 6.9 K/9.
Kansas City’s offense has put up 3.5 runs per outing, including 2.9 per game over its last 10 games and 3.6 per game over its last five. The teams hit .254/.299/.393 over its last five matchups and is 0-5 SU during that stretch.
Second baseman Whit Merrifield and third baseman Mike Moustakas have led the charge for the Royals hitters this year. Merrifield is hitting .293/.362/.415 with five home runs, 28 RBIs, 36 runs and 16 stolen bases, while Moustakas has produced a line of .258/.313/.475 with 17 homers, 56 RBIs and 39 runs.
The Red Sox have gained 19.1 units and are 41-26 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in 33 of those games, compared to 32 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Royals have lost 29.5 units and are 21-36 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over has cashed in 23 of those games, compared to 30 that went under the total.
Boston Red Sox at Kansas City Royals Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Red Sox, ATS Winner – Red Sox, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The over has cashed in four of Boston’s last seven outings.
- The Royals have dropped nine of their last 10 games SU.
- Kansas City has posted 17.3 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 21.2 over its last five.
- The Red Sox have hit 15 home runs in their last 10 games, including eight over their last five.
