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The Kansas City Royals and Boston Red Sox meet for game three of a four game series Wednesday night. This game will continue our MLB odds series as we hand out a Royals-Red Sox prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.
The Royals are hitting the ball very well this series. As a team, they have a .307 batting average, but this thanks to the nine-run outburst they had on Tuesday. M.J Melendez, Drew Waters, and Michael Massey have all homered in the series. Melendez and Waters lead the team with four hits each. On the mound, the Royals have a 4.08 ERA, but just a 0.96 WHIP. Only three pitchers on the Royals have given up runs, though. However, both starting pitchers have recorded quality starts this series.
The Red Sox are not hitting well. They have just 12 total hits in two games, which gives them a batting average of .188. Pablo Reyes and Adam Duvall have both homered in the series. Reyes has three hits, including that home run and four total RBI. On the mound, the Red Sox have allowed a lot of base runners. They have allowed 23 hits, and have walked six batters. Boston's bullpen has given up a bulk of the runs in the series.
Jordan Lyles will get the start for the Royals while Nick Pivetta starts for the Red Sox.
Here are the Royals-Red Sox MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Royals-Red Sox Odds
Kansas City Royals: +1.5 (+100)
Boston Red Sox: -1.5 (-122)
Over: 10.5 (-120)
Under: 10.5 (-102)
How To Watch Royals vs. Red Sox
TV: Bally Sports Kansas City, NESN
Stream: MLB TV subscription
Time: 7:10 PM ET/4:10 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Royals Could Cover The Spread
Kansas City needs to continue hitting in this game. They are batting .307 in this series, but in the month of August they have a .286 batting average. Since the All-Star break ended, the Royals have batted .266. Their offense has been hitting the ball well, so they should keep it going in this game.
Pivetta, as good as he has been, is actually worse at home this season. He has allowed opponents to hit for a higher average, he has walked more batters, his K/9 is lower, and his ERA is 1.07 higher when pitching at Fenway Park. With how the Royals have been hitting the ball lately, this actually is not a bad matchup for them. As long as Kansas City can continue their offensive production, they will cover this spread.
Why The Red Sox Could Cover The Spread
There is not much I can say to defend Jordan Lyles, so I will not try. He has not been good this season, but he has been even worse on the road. Lyles allows opponents to hit .294 off him when pitching on the road. This is almost .100 points higher than his home oBA. His road ERA is almost three full runs worse than his home ERA. The Red Sox should be able to hit the ball around in this game. Boston will get some pitches to hit, but they need to push runs across.
Final Royals-Red Sox Prediction & Pick
When looking at the pitching matchup, the answer is the Red Sox. Lyles is not a great pitcher this year, and the Royals are just 3-18 with him on the mound. However, if you look at recent play, the Royals are the answer. They have been hitting the ball well, and when a team is hot at the plate, it will never be easy getting them out. For this game, I am going to roll with the pitching matchup. I will take Nick Pivetta and the Red Sox to cover the spread.
Final Royals-Red Sox Prediction & Pick: Red Sox -1.5 (-122), Over 10.5 (-120)
