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The Kansas City Royals will begin a three-game series with the New York Yankees. It will be a battle of contenders at Yankee Stadium as we continue our MLB odds series with a Royals-Yankees prediction and pick.
Royals-Yankees Projected Starters
Seth Lugo vs. Carlos Carasco
Seth Lugo (1-1) with a 3.24 ERA
Last Start: Lugo went 5 2/3 innings in his last outing, allowing two earned runs while striking out six and walking three in a loss to the Minnesota Twins.
Away Splits: Lugo will be making his first road start of the season.
Carlos Carasco (1-1) with a 7.71 ERA
Last Start: Carasco struggled in his last outing, going 4 1/3 innings, allowing four earned runs on six hits while striking out three and walking one in a loss to the Detroit Tigers.
Home Splits: Carasco is 1-0 with a 7.36 ERA in two starts at Yankee Stadium this season.
Here are the MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Royals-Yankees Odds
Kanasa City Royals: +1.5 (-196)
Moneyline: +104
New York Yankees: -1.5 (+162)
Moneyline: -122
Over: 8.5 (-115)
Under: 8.5 (-105)
How to Watch Royals vs. Yankees
Time: 7:05 PM ET/4:05 PM PT
TV: MLB Network
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Article Continues Below
Why The Royals Will Cover The Spread/Win
Vinnie Pasquantino has a hamstring injury and is battling through it. Still, he is powering through it and even had a home run on Saturday against the Cleveland Guardians. Pasquantino is batting .218 with two home runs, 11 RBIs, and four runs. Therefore, there is work to do, and he must get better. The injury could be affecting him. Bobby Witt Jr. has started the season well and continued to put the ball in play. So far, he is hitting .305 with one home run, six RBIs, and 10 runs. Witt will be the top option. Meanwhile, Jonathan India is struggling to start the season, batting .208 with three RBIs and five runs. India was not in the lineup on Sunday because of a quadriceps injury and might not play in this one.
The Royals are struggling to hit right now, ranking 23rd in batting average, 25th in on-base percentage, 28th in runs, 29th in home runs, and 28th in slugging percentage.
Lugo will look to dominate in a challenging environment. When he finishes, he will turn it over to a bullpen that is just 24th in bullpen ERA. They suffered a major blow as Hunter Harvey has a right teres major strain. Therefore, others must step up to try and help a bullpen that has struggled over the first couple of weeks. Carlos Estevez has been one of the few gems, going 0-0 with a 1.29 ERA and five saves in five chances.
The Royals will cover the spread if their hitters can string together some runs and put the ball in play while getting the early lead. Then, Lugo must pitch well to get the ball to Estevez with the lead.
Why The Yankees Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Yankees are 8-7 coming into this game after losing two of three to the San Francisco Giants. They have been the most inconsistent baseball team this season, but they have shown the ability to clobber the baseball this season. Ultimately, they just cannot find the consistency, and these are not the Yankees that made it all the way to the World Series last season.
Aaron Judge is batting .357 with six home runs, 20 RBIs, and 17 runs. Amazingly, he just keeps driving runners home. But he did not have any RBIs against the Giants. Meanwhile, Paul Goldschmidt is having a career revival as he is batting .357 with one home run, six RBIs, and eight runs. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is struggling. He is batting .169 with five home runs, 10 RBIs, and nine runs. Meanwhile, Cody Bellinger is hitting .196 with one home run, eight RBIs, and nine runs.
Carasco will attempt to pitch well and go long in this game. When he exits the game, he will turn it over to a bullpen that is the best in the majors. The Yanks have the best bullpen, even with Devin Williams struggling in his new role.
The Yankees will cover the spread if their bats can get hot and batter the baseball out of the ballpark. Then, their starter must do well, and the bullpen must continue to dominate.
Final Royals-Yankees Prediction & Pick
The Royals are 6-10 against the spread, while the Yankees are 7-8. Also, the Royals are 3-3 against the spread on the road, while the Yankees are 5-4 against the spread at home.
The Royals and Yankees have both played uneven baseball. Because of this, it is hard to pick a winner. But I like Lugo in this matchup because he is 1-0 with a 2.77 ERA in six games at Yankee Stadium. Lugo knows how to keep the ball in the park, and it will help the Royals cover the spread on the road.
Final Royals-Yankees Prediction & Pick: Kanasa City Royals: +1.5 (-196)
