Whit Merrifield and the Kansas City Royals will take on the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in a Saturday showdown. Fox Sports Kansas City will broadcast this AL matchup and the opening pitch will be at 1:05 p.m. ET.
Kansas City Royals at New York Yankees Odds
Bookmakers have New York (-225) as the favorite over Kansas City (+205). You can play matchup’s total with current odds listed at -115 for over 8.5 runs and -105 for under 8.5. This game currently has a runline of Royals +1.5 (-105) and Yankees -1.5 (-115).
The Royals have gone only 7-13 SU this year and are 11-8 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 4.1 units for bettors taking the moneyline in the season’s early going, despite having gained 1.8 units ATS. Kansas City has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in five of those seven. The Yankees, on the other hand, are 9-10 SU and 9-9 ATS. They’ve lost 11.3 units for moneyline bettors and 1.5 units ATS. New York has a 3-4 ATS mark over its last seven games and the under has hit in five of those seven.
Yankees games have an over/under record of 8-10 thus far in 2019. Kansas City has an over/under record of 11-7-1.
Heath Fillmyer will get the start for Kansas City. The right-handed Fillmyer is 0-0 with a 9.00 ERA and four strikeouts. He has yet to face the Yankees this year and only made one start against them in 2018 (0-0, 5.40 ERA and two strikeouts over five innings).
The Yankees will send righty Masahiro Tanaka (1-1, 3.22 ERA) to the mound. Tanaka has 21 strikeouts and five walks as well as a 1.30 WHIP. Tanaka did not re a start against the Royals in 2018.
Kansas City’s pitching staff allowed 5.2 runs per game and its starters own a 4.66 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 8.52 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 5.95, along with a K-per-9 of 8.31.
The Royals offense has slashed .241/.321/.418 on its way to 4.5 runs scored per game this season, including 4.8 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 3.4 per game over the team’s last five outings (2-3 SU).
Kansas City’s offense has been powered by second baseman Whit Merrifield and left fielder Alex Gordon. Merrifield is slashing .294/.322/.459 with 25 hits, nine RBIs, 14 runs and five steals, while Gordon is hitting .329 with 23 hits, three homers, 17 RBIs and 13 runs scored.
For the home team, New York’s pitchers have given up 3.9 runs per game overall this season. The team’s starting pitching staff has a 3.77 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 3.61 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 10.8 K/9.
New York’s hitters have put up 4.9 runs per outing, including 4.4 per game over its last 10 games and 4.4 per game over their last five. The team’s hit .209/.288/.379 over its last five contests and is 3-2 SU during that span.
Second baseman DJ LeMahieu and right fielder Aaron Judge have led the charge for the Yankees’ batters this year. LeMahieu is slashing .313/.361/.391 with 20 hits, nine RBIs and 10 runs scored, and Judge’s line sits at .275/.400/.478 with four homers, 10 RBIs and 12 runs.
The Royals have lost 2.0 units and are 9-6 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in nine of those games, compared to six that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Yankees have lost 8.8 units and are 8-7 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over has cashed in eight of those games, compared to seven that went under the total.
Royals vs. Yankees MLB Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Yankees, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – UNDER
Betting Notes
- The over has cashed in just two of Kansas City’s last seven games.
- The Yankees have won three of their last four games SU.
- New York has recorded 18.2 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 games and 17.2 over its last five.
- The Royals have hit 16 home runs in their last 10 games. The Yankees have hit 12 over their last 10.
- The Royals have a total OPS of .739 this season and an OPS of .767 against right-handed pitchers. The Yankees’ OPS sits at .785 overall and .815 against righties.
