The Kansas City Royals will open up a best-of-three wildcard series against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday at Camden Yards at Oriole Park. The playoffs are here as we share our MLB odds series and make a Royals-Orioles AL Wildcard Game 1 prediction and pick.
Royals-Orioles Game 1 Projected Starters
Cole Ragans vs. Corbin Burnes
Cole Ragans (11-9) with a 3.14 ERA
Last Start: Regans was supposed to start on Sunday, but the Royals moved him back to give him a chance to start the first game of the AL Wildcard. He went six innings in his last outing, allowing three hits and shutting out the Washington Nationals while also getting a no-decision.
2024 Road Splits: Ragans has been significantly better away from Kauffman Stadium, sporting a 4-4 record with a 2.87 ERA over 15 outings.
Corbin Burnes (15-9) with a 2.92 ERA
Last Start: Burnes went five innings in his last outing, allowing one earned run on two hits while striking out nine and walking one in a loss.
2024 Home Splits: Burnes has been good at home, going 8-5 with a 2.95 ERA over 17 starts at Camden Yards.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
AL Wild Card Odds: Royals-Orioles Game 1 Odds
Kansas City Royals: +1.5 (-182)
Moneyline: +132
Baltimore Orioles: -1.5 (+150)
Moneyline: -156
Over: 7 (-102)
Under: 7 (-120)
How to Watch Royals vs. Orioles Game 1
Time: 4:00 pm ET/1:00 pm PT
TV: ESPN2
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why The Royals Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Royals are making their first playoff appearance since 2015, the same year they won the World Series. Can history repeat itself? They have one of the best players in the game and someone who can make a difference.
Bobby Witt Jr. made history often this season several times. Now, he has a chance to make his mark in the playoff history books as he makes his postseason debut. We have seen this story with other phenoms, such as Mike Trout. Unfortunately, it has not always worked out so well. The road to success is often difficult. In this case, Witt faces a team that is determined to get past the AL Wild Card after faltering last season. Because of that, it will be slightly tougher for Witt to carry this team. Yet, he has someone who was on that 2015 team who can help him.
Salvador Perez was on that team and helped them thrive over the two seasons. Overall, he hit .233 with 27 hits, five home runs, 14 RBIs, and 14 runs over 31 postseason games. The Royals need him to turn back the clock and drive some runners home.
Ragans makes his postseason debut. How will he handle the pressure? Consequently, a mistake against this lineup could be deadly. Ragans has not done well against the Orioles, going 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA over four games against them throughout his career. Thus, there will be more pressure on him to perform.
The Royals will cover the spread if they can drive some runners home, with Witt and Perez contributing. Then, they need Ragans to find his spots.
Why The Orioles Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Orioles are back in the postseason after last season. Unfortunately, it did not go so well as the inexperienced Orioles fell in the AL Wildcard to the eventual defending champion Texas Rangers. The O's are a year older and wiser and hope to prevent that from happening. To do that, they need all the pieces from their offense to mesh.
Gunnar Henderson is the real face of the Orioles. He proved it last season, batting .500 (6 for 12) in the wildcard round, hitting one home run, two RBIs, and three runs. Meanwhile, one could not say the same about some of his teammates. Adley Rutshman was awful. Sadly, he hit just .083 in the wildcard round last season. The Orioles will need him to do a lot more to give themselves the best chance of winning. Meanwhile, Anthony Santander was decent, batting .273 (3 for 11) with one home run, RBI, and two runs. Ryan O'Hearn went 1 for 5 in his limited playoff experience and will look to do more. Likewise, Ryan Mountcastle is someone who may have a major role in this one, and the Os need his big bat.
Last year, the Orioles realized how inexperienced they were in the postseason. Therefore, they needed to make changes, Enter Burnes. Amazingly, this is exactly the scenario the Orioles had in mind when they acquired him. Granted, they had hoped it would be for the Divisional Round. Still, beggars can't be choosers. Burnes comes in with a career playoff record of 1-1 with a 2,84 ERA over eight starts. Now, the Orioles hope that he can shut the door down, especially with a faulty bullpen that ranks among the most inconsistent in baseball. That bullpen does not have an official closer, either, with Seranthony Dominguez doing the best job he can do.
The Orioles will cover the spread if Henderson gets things started, Rutshcman follows, and the rest of the lineup does their job, driving runners home to give them the early advantage. Then, they need a good outing from Burnes, with a lead that is not too tight for a shaky bullpen to relinquish.
Final Royals-Orioles Game 1 Prediction & Pick
The Royals will be the rookies this season, while the O's have a year of playoff experience. Additionally, the O's got Burnes for this exact reason. Unlike last season, the Orioles will be better prepared for the AL Wild Card this time. Expect Burnes to go out and dominate the Royals and win the battles with Witt. Subsequently, he will do enough to give his Orioles the advantage, the Game 1 win, and help cover the spread.
Final Royals-Orioles Game 1 Prediction & Pick: Baltimore Orioles -1.5 (+150)
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