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The Boston Red Sox will look to stay hot as they host the Kansas City Royals on Monday night. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Royals-Red Sox prediction and pick.
Boston just swept the New York Yankees to regain control of the AL East and will look to stay hot against the Royals. Kansas City, on the other hand, have really struggled with losses in five straight games coming in. Boston will be out for revenge as the Royals defeated them in two out of three games last weekend.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Royals-Red Sox odds.
MLB Odds: Royals-Red Sox Odds
Kansas City Royals +1.5 (-135)
Boston Red Sox -1.5 (+115)
Over 11 Runs (-105)
Under 11 Runs (-115)
Why The Royals Could Cover The Spread
The Kansas City Royals have been one of the worst teams in baseball in the month of June. They have won just three games since June 4th and have been swept four times during the recent stretch. Two of their three wins came against the Red Sox last weekend, but the Royals haven't won a game since that series, losing five straight. Kansas City is now in a three-way tie for last place in the AL Central.
The Royals offense has been surprisingly decent this season with a team batting average of .241, which is good for 11th in the Majors. Their offense has been significantly worse on the road however with 3.51 runs per game. This lineup has been anchored by veteran catcher Salvador Perez, who is hitting .281 with a team-high 18 home runs this season. Kansas City's pitching staff has allowed the 24th-most runs at just under five per game.
Kansas City will turn to veteran left-hander Danny Duffy for the series opener. Duffy has been one of the lone bright spots in the rotation this season. The southpaw is currently 4-3 with a 1.81 ERA through eight starts and nine appearances. He made a relief appearance against the Yankees after returning from the IL and tossed two scoreless innings.
Why The Red Sox Could Cover The Spread
The Boston Red Sox had a tremendous weekend, which was much-needed after losing three of their four games during the week. Boston dominated the Yankees with a 9-2 victory against Gerrit Cole on Sunday to complete the sweep. The Red Sox stand atop the AL East standings once again with a half-game lead over the Rays. They will now have a chance to avenge their series loss against the reeling Royals just last weekend.
Boston has been one of the best offensive clubs in all of baseball this season. They are currently averaging 5.01 runs per game, which is good for fourth in the Majors. Boston is led their three-headed monster in Xander Bogaerts, JD Martinez, and Rafael Devers. Devers blasted his team-high 19th home run in Sunday's win against the Yankees. The Red Sox plated 18 runs during their three-game sweep.
Boston will turn to Garrett Richards for the series opener. Richards is having a decent season but has really struggled of late. The veteran right-hander has given up four earned runs in each of his last three starts and lasted just 1.2 innings in his last outing against the Rays. He now owns a 5.77 ERA over his last seven appearances and will look to get right against a cold Royals lineup.
Final Royals-Red Sox Prediction & Pick
This may be an unpopular pick, but I am going to take some value and pick the Kansas City Royals to win this game. With Danny Duffy back in the rotation, the Royals finally have an anchor again. Duffy has been lights out this season and should provide enough support for this solid lineup to get back on track. Garrett Richards, on the other hand, seems more focused on the league's new substance policy than he does on pitching. He has been awful and it appears his season is about to implode. Take the Royals to win on Monday night.
FINAL PICK: Kansas City Royals ML (+142)
