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The New York Yankees begin their playoff run as they face the Kansas City Royals. It's time to continue our ALDS odds series with a Royals-Yankees prediction and pick.
Royals-Yankees Game 1 Projected Starters
Michael Wacha vs. Gerrit Cole
Michael Wacha (13-8) with a 3.35 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP
Last Start: Wacha went five innings, giving up five hits, a walk, and a home run. He would allow four runs, three earned, as he took the no-decision in a win over the Nationals.
2024 Road Splits: Wacha was 6-5 on the road in 15 starts this year with a 3.78 ERA and a .242 opponent batting average.
Gerrit Cole (8-5) with a 3.41 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP
Last Start: Cole went 6.2 innings giving up two hits and a walk. He would not allow a run in a win over the Orioles.
2024 Home Splits:
Here are the ALDS Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
ALDS Odds: Royals-Yankees Odds
Kansas City Royals: +1.5 (-125)
Moneyline: +172
New York Yankees: -1.5 (+104)
Moneyline: -205
Over: 7.5 (-122)
Under: 7.5 (+100)
How to Watch Royals vs. Yankees Game 1
Time: 6:38 PM ET/ 3:38 PM PT
TV: TBS/MAX
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why The Royals Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Royals finished the regular season 13th in the majors in runs scored, while sitting tenth in batting average, 19th in on-base percentage, and 12th in slugging. Bobby Witt Jr. led the way this year. He is hitting .332 on the year with a .389 on-base percentage. Witt has 32 home runs, 109 RBIs, 31 stolen bases, and 125 runs scored. Meanwhile, Salvador Perez is hitting .271 on the year with a .330 on-base percentage. He has 27 home runs, 104 RBIS, and 58 runs scored. Maiken Garcia rounds out the top bats for the Royals. He hit .231 this year with a .281 on-base percentage. Garcia has seven home runs, 59 RBIs, 37 stolen bases, and 84 runs scored.
Bobby Witt Jr. was solid in the series with the Orioles. He hit .333 in the series with the Orioles with two RBIs. Further, Vinnie Pasquantino hit .286 with a .444 on-base percentage. He also had an RBI. Michael Massey rounds out the top bats from the series with the Orioles. He hit .375 against the Orioles with a run scored. The Royals hit .219 against the Orioles with three runs in the two games.
Current Royals have 145 career at-bats against Gerrit Cole. They have hit .221 against Cole. Tommy Pham has the most experience. He is 12-35 with two home runs and six RBIs. Further, Adam Fraizer is 5-14 with two RBIs against Cole. Finally, Salvador Perez is just 1-15 with a home run and three RBIs.
Why The Yankees Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Yankees finished the regular season third in the majors in runs scored this year while sitting ninth in batting average, third in on-base percentage, and fourth in slugging. Aaron Judge has been amazing this year. He is hitting .322 on the year with a .458 on-base percentage. Judge has 58 home runs this year, helping to his 144 RBIs. Further, he has scored 122 times this year. Juan Soto is also having a great year. He is hitting .288 on the year with a .419 on-base percentage. He has 41 home runs and 109 RBIs this year, scoring 128 times. Anthony Volpe is also having a solid season. Volpe is hitting .243 on the year with a .293 on-base percentage. He has 12 home runs and 60 RBIs. Further, he has stolen 28 bases and scored 90 times this season.
Aaron Judge also comes into the game hot. Prior to the playoffs, he was hitting .286 with a .444 on-base percentage. He has three home runs, six RBIs, and four runs scored. Meanwhile. Juan Soto is also hot. In the last week, he has hit .333 with a .455 on-base percentage. He has a home run, five RBIs, and four runs scored. Finally, Jazz Chisholm is also hitting well. He is hitting .255 in the last week with a home run, four RBIs, two stolen bases, and a run scored. The Yankees hit .224 in the last week before the playoffs with eight home runs and 32 runs scored.
Current Yankees have 137 career at-bats against Michael Wacha. They have hit .241 against Wacha. Anthony Rizzo has the most experience. He is 22-56 with three home runs and seven RBIs. Further, Giancarlo Stanton is 4-17 with a home run and two RBIs. Further, Alex Verdugo is 3-11 with a double.
Final Royals-Yankees Prediction & Pick
The odds for game one of the ALDS between the Royals and Yankees favor New York. Michael Wacha was great coming down the stretch for the Royals. He gave up just nine runs, eight earned in 27.2 innings of work over five starts. That was good for a 2.60 ERA, but the Royals went just 3-2 in those five games. Meanwhile, Gerrit Cole has also been solid as of late. He made five starts in September giving up 11 runs with just nine earned. Over 32 innings he has a 2.53 ERA and the Yankees went 3-2 in those five games. The Yankees have the better pitcher in this one and the better offense. Take the Yankees to get the win.
Final Royals-Yankees Prediction & Pick: Yankees -1.5 (+104)
