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The Kansas City Royals are still trying to figure out how to beat the New York Yankees as the two squads meet again in the Bronx on Saturday. It's time to continue our MLB odds coverage with a Royals-Yankees prediction and pick.
The Yankees defeated the Royals 11-5 on Friday, extending their record against Kansas City to 5-0. New York started hot in the first inning when Anthony Rizzo cracked a solo shot to deep center field. The home run was the 24th of the season for Rizzo, giving the Yanks a 1-0 lead. Later, it was order in the court, as Aaron Judge blasted an absolute bomb to left field. It was the league-leading 40th home run for Judge, giving the Yankees a 3-0 lead. However, the Royals fired back when they chipped in two runs on an RBI single by Whit Merrifield. The hit cut the deficit to 3-2.
Salvador Perez, who was returning from an injury that sidelined him for a month, came up to bat with two runners on base. Next, he mashed a shot that inched just over the wall in center field. It was his 12th home run in 2022, giving the Royals a 5-3 edge. Later in the eighth inning, the Yankees responded spectacularly. They tied the game on a bases-loaded walk. Then, Isiah Kiner-Falefa pushed the Yanks ahead with an RBI single. The Yankees led 8-5 with their best hitter at the plate. All rise, as Judge slammed another shot into seats in right, giving the Yankees the cushion they needed to win with his 41st home run.
The Royals will go with Jonathan Heasley on the hill. He is 1-5 with a 5.50 ERA. Meanwhile, the Yankees will go with Nestor Cortes on the mound, as Cortes is 8-3 with a 2.48 ERA.
Here are the Royals-Yankees MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Royals-Yankees Odds
Kansas City Royals: +1.5 (+134)
New York Yankees: -1.5 (-162)
Over: 9 (-110)
Under: 9 (-110)
Why The Royals Could Cover The Spread
The Royals have yet to figure out the Yankees. Ultimately, they must figure out how to hit and pitch consistently in the same game. On Thursday, they allowed one run, and it came on a walk-off. However, they could not score any runs. They managed five runs yesterday but blew a 5-3 lead in the eighth.
Merrifield did his past, going 2 for 4 with two RBIs. However, the Royals need more production from other bats. Perez slammed a home run in his return but has struggled to do much between two separate stints on the injured reserve list. He is batting .211 with 12 home runs, 37 RBIs, and 26 runs over 58 games in 2022. Likewise, he must pick up the pace and improve on his numbers to help the Royals.
Kansas City needs Heasley to do better than his last performance, where he went 1 1/3 innings while allowing six runs (five earned) on six hits. The Royals cannot afford to go into the bullpen that early and must rely on their starter to carry the load.
The Royals will cover the spread if they get good pitching and timely hitting in the same game. Kansas City must build a significant lead early and not allow Cortes to settle into a groove,
Why The Yankees Could Cover The Spread
Judge is an absolute gem, batting .297 with 41 home runs, 89 RBIs, and 84 runs. Likewise, he is destroying the Royals this season, batting .412 with six home runs, 13 RBIs, and six runs over four games against Kansas City. He has slammed three home runs over two games so in this series so far. Thus, he is the main cog in the ignition for the Yankees and continues to produce in astronomical ways.
Rizzo had more hits against the Royals last night than he had hit in the previous four games combined. It brought his mark up to .200 with two home runs, three RBIs, and four runs over five games against the Royals. Thus, he will look to replicate last night's performance and help Judge power the Yankees through.
Cortes continues to amaze and will look to keep up the production. He tossed six scoreless innings in his last game, allowing six hits with seven strikeouts. Cortes faced the Royals earlier this year, allowing two runs (one earned) on eight hits. Now, he looks to go a little deeper this time around.
The Yankees will cover the spread if Judge and Rizzo pound the baseball. Additionally, another good performance by Cortes could go a long toward helping the Yanks stay unbeaten against the Royals.
Final Royals-Yankees Prediction & Pick
The Royals covered the spread on Thursday and looked to do it again last night before the collapse. Cortes is the better pitcher, and the Yanks enjoy teeing off on the Royals. Consequently, they will continue to hammer Kansas City.
Final Royals-Yankees Prediction & Pick: New York Yankees: -1.5 (-162)
