The Kansas City Royals have been a solid 3-4 on the road this season and they leave home again Monday to start a two-game interleague series at the Chicago Cubs, who are favored for Monday’s opener on the MLB odds. Being as it’s just a two-game series, there won’t be a series line, but still offers great opportunities when it comes down to baseball betting.
Royals vs Cubs – MLB Odds & Picks
How to Bet Royals at Cubs MLB Odds & TV Info- When: Monday, 8:15 PM ET
- Where: Wrigley Field
- Probable pitchers (away/home): Danny Duff/Alec Mills
- TV: MLB Extra Innings
- Stream/gameday audio: https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/
- Opening MLB Lines: Cubs -150, Royals +130 (total TBA)
The Royals were swept over the weekend at home by the White Sox, blown out 9-2 on Sunday. Alex Gordon hit his first homer of the year in the loss. He’s off to a slow start at the plate offensively, slashing just .214/.267/.357. It was the first time the Royals were swept at home by the White Sox since Sept. 4-6, 2015, falling to 3-7, still one game ahead of their 2019 pace.
Jorge Soler walked in the sixth inning to extend his on-base streak to 24 games dating back to Sept. 14, 2019, the third-longest active streak in the majors, one game behind the Mets’ Brandon Nimmo. Soler is batting .330 (29-for-88) during this 24-game run, which is the second longest of his career, trailing a 26-game run from June 30-July 30, 2019.
One of the team’s best players, shortstop Adalberto Mondesi, was removed from Sunday’s game Sox due to a quad contusion. Mondesi was noticeably gimpy after fouling a ball off his leg. He initially remained in the game but was eventually removed.
It’s lefty Danny Duffy (0-1, 5.79) on the bump. Duffy will make his third start of the season and the 184th start of his big-league career (212th appearance). It will be his second start vs. the Cubs, his first since 2011 and his first at Wrigley Field. Wrigley is one of seven Major League ballparks Duffy has never pitched.
Duffy received a no decision last Wednesday in Detroit after giving up four earned runs in 5.0 IP. He struck out the first four batters of the game, the last of which was the 932nd strikeout of his career, breaking a tie with Zack Greinke for seventh in Royals history. Duffy finished with eight strikeouts in 5.0 innings, a total he matched just twice in 2019 (11 K on July 23 at Atlanta, 8 K on June 28 at Toronto).
Duffy has been outstanding through the first 4.0 innings in each of his two starts, combining for just three hits allowed over 8.0 scoreless innings, with nine strikeouts. He’s allowed five runs on three hits in the fifth however, including a game-tying home run in his last start.
Why Bet on Chicago Cubs?The Cubs finished the weekend sweep of the visiting Pirates 2-1 in 11 innings on Sunday. Javier Baez went 1-for-5 and hit a walk-off single in the 11th inning. Third baseman Kris Bryant (illness) remained out of the Cubs’ lineup Sunday. Bryant self-reported symptoms related to COVID-19, but all tests have come back negative.
Cubs batters have been hit by a pitch 13 times, games, the most in the majors (the Mets are second with 12). Anthony Rizzo leads the majors, having been hit by six pitches in the Cubs first seven games. No other player has been hit by more than three pitches.
The Cubs have won at least seven of their first nine games for the 13th time since 1901 (last, 8-1 in 2016). The Cubs have won 10-straight home games against the Pirates dating to last season, the club’s longest streak since July 3, 1998-September 25, 1999 (10 games). Chicago went homerless for the first time this season. Rizzo (1-for-5) has reached base safely in his last 23 games at Wigley Field dating to August 7 of last season.
It’s former Royals right-hander Alec Mills (1-0, 3.00) on the bump for the Cubs. In his 2020 debut, Mills held the Reds to two runs in six innings, ending with three strikeouts, two walks and 10 ground-ball outs in Cincinnati. The righty has a 2.67 ERA in eight career games on the road, compared to a 4.64 ERA at home (12 games). Mills makes his first-career start against Kansas City. He made his major league debut with Kansas City on May 18, 2016 vs. Boston (1 R, 0.2 IP).
Game Trends- Royals are 17-36 in their last 53 Monday games.
- Royals are 8-17 in their last 25 interleague games vs. a right-handed starter.
- Royals are 7-15 in their last 22 during game 1 of a series.
- Royals are 41-90 in their last 131 games as a road underdog.
- Cubs are 19-7 in their last 26 interleague home games.
- Cubs are 12-5 in their last 17 vs. American League Central.
- Royals are 1-4 in the last 5 meetings.
- Under is 5-0 in the last 5 meetings.
