The Kansas City Royals will play host to the Los Angeles Angels at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. The game gets underway 4:15 p.m. ET and Fox Sports Kansas City will be televising this AL matchup.
Los Angeles Angels vs. Kansas City Royals Odds
Oddsmakers have listed Kansas City (+150) as the underdog to Los Angeles (-160). The total stands at nine runs and bettors can take the over for -105 and the under for -115. Bettors can also wager on the games runline with the odds coming in at Angels -1.5 runs (-110) and Royals +1.5 runs (-110).
The Angels have gone 41-37 SU this year and are 34-43 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 1.7 units for moneyline gamblers and 12.3 units ATS. Los Angeles has covered the spread only once over its last seven games and the over has hit in four of those seven. The Royals, on the other hand, are 23-54 SU and 35-41 ATS. They’ve lost 21.3 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 13.7 units ATS. Kansas City has a 3-4 ATS record over its last seven games and the under has hit in five of those seven.
Royals games have a 28-44-4 over/under record so far in 2018. The Angels have an over/under record of 35-37-5.
Tyler Skaggs is getting the nod for the Halos. The left-handed Skaggs is 6-4 with a 2.81 ERA and 86 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Royals this year and only made one start against them in 2017 (0-0, 0.00 ERA and nine strikeouts over seven innings).
The Royals are putting the ball in the hands of righty Brad Keller (1-2, 2.63 ERA), who has 24 strikeouts and 16 walks to his name, as well as a 1.34 WHIP. Keller is 0-1 with five strikeouts and a 3.38 ERA in one start against Los Angeles this year.
Kansas City’s pitchers have given up 5.5 runs per game overall in 2018 as a unit. Its starting pitching staff has an ERA of 5.18, a WHIP of 1.44 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 7.4. The bullpen has a 5.43 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 6.9 K/9.
Kansas City’s offense is putting up 3.6 runs per outing, including 2.2 per game over its last 10 games and 2.0 per game over its last five. The team has slashed .178/.249/.284 over its last five games and is 1-4 SU during that span.
The Royals batters have been led by second baseman Whit Merrifield and third baseman Mike Moustakas. Merrifield is hitting .280/.358/.401 with four home runs, 23 RBIs, 31 runs and 16 steals, and Moustakas is hitting .255 with 14 homers, 48 RBIs and 35 runs.
For the visitors, Los Angeles pitching staff allowed 4.2 runs per game and its starters own a 3.74 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 9.00 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 3.92, along with a WHIP of 1.26 and a K/9 of 9.33.
Angels hitters have slashed .248/.322/.421 on their way to 4.5 runs scored per game this season, including 4.9 runs per game over the teams last 10 games and 4.4 per game over the teams last five outings (3-2 SU).
Right fielder Mike Trout and shortstop Andrelton Simmons continue to lead Los Angeles hitters. Trout is hitting .325/.461/.661 with 23 home runs, 48 RBIs, 62 runs and 13 stolen bases. Simmons is hitting .308/.373/.421 with four homers, 34 RBIs and 37 runs scored.
The Angels have gained 8.0 units and are 29-30 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in 26 of those games, compared to 29 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Royals have netted 2.2 units and are 15-10 ATS when facing a lefty starter. The over has hit in nine of those games, compared to 16 that went under the total.
Los Angeles Angels vs. Kansas City Royals Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Angels, ATS Winner – Angels, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The over has cashed in four of Los Angeles last seven games.
- The Angels have hit 15 home runs in their last 10 games. The Royals have hit four over their last 10.
- The Los Angeles defense has allowed six errors over the last 10 games, compared to 11 errors for Kansas City over its last 10.
- The Royals have lost 11 of their last 12 games SU.
