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. The Royals also opened this series with a win in the first game. Our MLB odds series has our Diamondbacks-Royals prediction, odds, and pick for Wednesday.
Diamondbacks-Royals Projected Starters
Ryne Nelson vs. Michael Wacha
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
Michael Wacha (7-6) with a 3.55 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP
Last Start: Pitched seven innings and gave up zero runs on four hits with one walk and seven strikeouts in a Royals win.
2024 Home Splits: (4-1) 2.96 ERA
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Diamondbacks-Royals Odds
Arizona Diamondbacks: -1.5 (+160)
Moneyline: +108
Kansas City Royals: +1.5 (-194)
Moneyline: -126
Over: 9 (-115)
Under: 9 (-105)
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 51-50 record. They have lost two straight following a two-game winning streak. 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 are starting to be Ryne Nelson on the mound in this game. 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 .291, in OBP at .361, and in total hits at 109. Then, Walker leads in home runs at 22 and RBI at 68. This offense has been great, but they get an interesting matchup against Michael Wacha because he has been solid on the mound in his own right.
Why The Royals Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Royals have played well this year on their way to a 56-45 record. They come into this matchup winning four straight games. Their bats are a top 10 unit in the MLB, which joins their top 10 pitching lineup. 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 Michael Wacha on the mound. He has a 7-6 record, a 3.55 ERA, and a 1.20 WHIP on the year up to this point. Through 96.1 innings, he has allowed 40 runs on 88 hits with 28 walks and 85 strikeouts. He has appeared in 17 games so far this season, and the Royals have gone 9-8 in those games. Wacha is a key piece in one of the best pitching lineups in the MLB this season for the Royals. He will have a huge challenge in this game against an offense as potent as the Diamondbacks have been.
The Royals' offense has been solid behind the plate. They are 10th in team batting average at .250 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 .341, in RBI at 69, in OBP at .387, and in total hits at 137. Finally, Perez and Witt are tied for the lead in home runs at 18. The Royals' offense gets a favorable matchup against Nelson. He has struggled all year for the Diamondbacks and has been a weak link in a bad pitching lineup.
Final Diamondbacks-Royals Prediction & Pick
The Royals have all of the advantage in this game. They have more momentum and have the pitching advantage with Wacha over Nelson. The Diamondbacks have the better offense, but it's marginal and not big enough to make a difference. Expect the Royals to not only cover but win outright at home and extend their winning streak.
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Final Diamondbacks-Royals Prediction & Pick: Royals +1.5 (-194)
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