The Diamondbacks make the trip to Kansas City to face the Royals! The Diamondbacks have been playing well to start the second half of the year. The Royals are even more red-hot than the Diamondbacks and enter on a winning streak. Our MLB odds series has our Diamondbacks-Royals prediction, odds, and pick for Tuesday.

Diamondbacks-Royals Projected Starters 

Ryne Nelson vs. Alec Marsh

Ryne Nelson (7-6) with a 4.78 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP

Last Start: Pitched 5.2 innings and gave up one run on three hits with two walks and nine strikeouts in a Diamondbacks win.

2024 Road Splits: (4-3) 3.58 ERA

Alec Marsh (7-6) with a 4.52 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP

Last Start: Pitched six innings and gave up three runs on three hits with one walk and eight strikeouts in a Royals win.

2024 Home Splits: (4-2) 3.97 ERA

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Diamondbacks-Royals Odds

Arizona Diamondbacks: -1.5 (+138)

Moneyline: -116

Kansas City Royals: +1.5 (-166)

Moneyline: -102

Over: 9.5 (-105)

Under: 9.5 (-115)

How to Watch Diamondbacks vs. Royals

Time: 8:10 pm ET

TV: Bally Sports Kansas City

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Diamondbacks Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Diamondbacks have been inconsistent this season and ravaged by injuries on their way to a 51-49 record. They went 2-1 in their first series after the All-Star break. The Diamondbacks have had a strong season behind the plate and are in the top 10 of the league. Their pitching has struggled and is one of the worst in the league due to injuries and quality of play. Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Ketel Marte, Joc Pederson, Eugenio Suarez, and Christian Walker have been great on offense. Zac Gallen, Brandon Pfaadt, and Merrill Kelly, despite both Gallen and Kelly being injured. The Diamondbacks have been decimated by injuries and need to get healthy in the second half of the year.

The Diamondbacks have not announced who they are starting yet, but it looks like it will be Ryne Nelson. He has a 7-6 record, a 4.78 ERA, and a 1.39 WHIP. Through 92.1 innings, Nelson has allowed 51 runs on 106 hits with 22 walks and 68 strikeouts. The Diamondbacks are 9-9 in the 18 games he has appeared in this season. Nelson has struggled in the pitching staff in Arizona this season. He gets a huge challenge against the Royals behind the plate with how well they are playing on offense.

The offense for the Diamondbacks has been great this season. The Diamondbacks are ninth in the MLB in team batting average at .252 after finishing with a .250 last year. Ketel Marte and Christian Walker lead the team in almost every important batting category. Marte leads in batting average at .289, in OBP at .360, and in total hits at 107. Then, Walker leads in home runs at 22 and RBI at 68. This offense has been great, and they get a favorable matchup against Alec Marsh, especially considering how inconsistent he has been on the mound for the Royals.

Why The Royals Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Royals have played well this year on their way to a 55-45 record. They come into this series winning three straight games. Their batting has slumped and is now around average, while their pitching is in the top 10. Seth Lugo has made a potent pitching combination with Brady Singer and Cole Ragans. Their bats have been playing well this season too. Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. have been the main standouts for the Royals behind the plate, but Maikel Garcia and Vinnie Pasquantino have also played well. The Royals have been one of the bigger surprises this season, especially after last year.

The Royals are starting Alec Marsh on the mound. He has a 7-6 record, a 4.52 ERA, and a 1.23 WHIP on the year up to this point. Through 91.2 innings, he has allowed 47 runs on 84 hits with 29 walks and 84 strikeouts. He has appeared in 18 games so far this season, and the Royals have been 12-6 in those games. Marsh has struggled as a weak link in an overall great pitching staff with the Royals. He gets a huge challenge against the Diamondbacks with how well they are playing behind the plate.

The Royals' offense has been solid behind the plate. They are 11th in team batting average at .252 after finishing last season at .254. Their offensive output has been led mainly by Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez in almost every batting category. Witt Jr. leads in batting average at .337, in RBI at 66, in OBP at .382, and in total hits at 134. Finally, Perez and Witt are tied for the lead in home runs at 17. The Royals' offense gets a favorable matchup against Nelson or the Diamondbacks' bullpen. Neither option is playing well and this Royals offense has been playing well this season.

Final Diamondbacks-Royals Prediction & Pick

These two teams have been playing well since the All-Star break. The offenses will decide this game and the Diamondbacks are slightly better, but the difference is marginal. The difference at pitcher is also marginal between Marsh and then either Nelson or the bullpen for Arizona. Expect the Diamondbacks to cover on the road.

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Final Diamondbacks-Royals Prediction & Pick: Diamondbacks -1.5 (+138)