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An American League showdown will be in the works as the Kansas City Royals take on the Los Angeles Angels to kick off the weekend. Let's check out our MLB odds series where our Royals-Angels prediction and pick will be revealed.
Entering this Friday, it has been the Angels who have lost five out of their last seven games and look to be trending on a downward slope as LA now sits with a 9-10 record overall. However, the good news is that international superstar Shohei Ohtani will be in line for the start as he puts his perfect 2-0 record on the line to go along with a dazzling 0.86 ERA with the hopes of putting the Halos back in the win column.
As for the Royals, Kansas City has been downright awful to begin the season as they have suffered just a 4-15 season to begin the long and grueling MLB campaign. Believe it or not, but KC has lost six games in a row and are parched for a win to get them going again. Hoping to give his team a hard-earned victory will be RHP Taylor Clarke who has posted a 1-0 record but has seen his ERA swell to a 6.75 mark. Clarke has posted seven relief appearances up to this point, as the Royals will most likely go with a bullpen-committee approach after an inning or two.
Here are the Royals-Angels MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Royals-Angels Odds
Kansas City Royals: +1.5 (+120)
Los Angeles Angels: -1.5 (-144)
Over: 8.5 (-122)
Under: 8.5 (+100)
How To Watch Royals vs. Angels
TV: Fox Sports West
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 9:38 ET/6:38 PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Royals Could Cover The Spread
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Without a doubt, the Royals have experienced every frustrating emotion that you can think of during the first 19 games of the regular season, but with still five-plus months remaining rest of the way, there is still plenty of time for Kansas City to get their season turned around despite many believing that this roster lacks the necessary talent and skill to compete.
Nevertheless, the most important ingredient that the Royals need in order to cook up a spread-covering recipe is to continue to inflict damage on the road. Bafflingly enough, the Royals are an awful 1-12 inside their home park at Kauffman Stadium but have at least tallied a dead-even 3-3 record as visitors up to this point. Still, the Royals will also need their pitching to be up to snuff in this one especially when you consider that Kansas City arms have surrendered a whopping 24 runs in their last two games combined. On paper, the Royals statistically have one of the worst ERA's in all of baseball with a 5.46 mark, so pitching some scoreless frames especially to begin the game will be vital.
Of course, the Royals' hitting hasn't done them any favors as of late either, so getting the best out of their young but promising slashers will be huge for Kansas City. Look no further than the highly regarded 22-year-old shortstop in Bobby Witt Jr. to continue to flash his skillset as he is currently raking .260 to go along with a team-high three home runs on the young season.
Why The Angels Could Cover The Spread
On paper, the Angels may appear to be massive favorites on this Friday night, but if there is anything we know about this Angels franchise over the last several years, it is that they seem to always love to disappoint. Regardless of Los Angeles boasting a hefty amount of talent, the Halos last reached the playoffs nearly a decade ago and have only been to the postseason once since Mike Trout has been in town. Now with arguably the face of baseball in Ohtani on the roster, the pressure is on for Los Angeles to deliver this season.
When it comes to finding a way to win by multiple runs and cover the spread over the Royals, the Angels must figure out a way to warm up the bats and fine-tune the pitching arms. Alas, it appears like both units have gone ice cold, as it was the pitching that got rocked by Yankee bats in their most recent 9-3 loss. Not to mention, but the Halos offense only generated five runs over the course of their last 19 innings played.
Fortunately, having Ohtani on the bump almost single-handily guarantees that the Angels will cover the spread, as the Japanese phenom is the biggest name in baseball for a reason. Whether it is his devastating splitter that generates a lot of swing and misses or his upper 90's fastball that is too quick to catch up too, Ohtani will end up being the sole reason why the Angels cover if they can take care of business.
Final Royals-Angels Prediction & Pick
Clearly, both sides are struggling mightily to consistently win games, but it will end up being Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Angels that end up being too powerful to overcome if you're the Royals.
Final Royals-Angels Prediction & Pick: Angels -1.5 (-144)
