The Boston Red Sox are struggling right now and they better snap out of it very soon or they will not get a chance to defend their World Series title in October. The Sox are heavy MLB Betting favorites, though, for Wednesday’s home game against a bad Kansas City Royals team.
How to Bet Royals vs Red Sox MLB Odds & Game Info
- When: Wednesday, 7:10 PM ET
- Where: Fenway Park
- Probable pitchers (away/home): Glenn Sparkman/Eduardo Rodriguez
- TV: MLB Extra Innings
- Live Stream: MLB.tv
- Radio: 104.5 The Team
- MLB Odds: Boston Red Sox -320 (Total 10.5)
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Weather Forecast
- Isolated Thunderstorms: 26°C/79°F
- Humidity: 72%
- Precipitation: 33%
- Cloud Cover: 79%
- Wind: 12 mph S
- Stadium Type: Open
Why Bet on Kansas City?
Good-looking young shortstop Adalberto Mondesi (shoulder) is with the Royals in Boston and said that he’s feeling much better. Out since mid-July with a left shoulder subluxation, Mondesi has been incorporating more baseball activities of late. There still doesn’t appear to be a timetable for his return. Catcher Salvador Perez threw Monday for the first time since Tommy John surgery. Perez is five months removed from the operation and won’t play this year.
KC is on a pace to allow 216 blasts this year, which would fall well short of the club record of 239 in 2000. At the plate, the Royals are on a 153-home run pace, which would fall two homers shy of last year’s total. The club record for home runs hit by Kansas City is 193 set two years ago, the year Mike Moustakas set the club record with 38.
The Royals aren’t a good baseball team, but lost in the fold this year has been Jorge Soler, who is having himself a respectable campaign in 2019. After Monday’s game against the Red Sox Soler is slashing .249/.329/.513 with 29 home runs and 75 RBI. He could break Moustakas’ team record of 38 homers.
The Royals’ Glenn Sparkman (3-7) didn’t factor into the decision in Friday’s 11-9 loss to the Twins, surrendering six runs on six hits and three walks over 4.2 innings while striking out four. Sparkman had one stretch where he retired eight in a row but got hit hard in the fifth, giving up two runs. The right-hander continues to struggle. Sparkman has given up at least four runs in six of his last seven starts, staggering to an 8.08 ERA, 1.69 WHIP and 24:12 K:BB through 39 innings over that stretch.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 4.28
- Hits: 8.39
- Walks: 2.83
- Strike Outs: 8.52
- Runs: 5.27
- Hits: 9.34
- Walks: 3.57
- Strike Outs: 7.67
Why Bet on Boston?
Reigning AL MVP Mookie Betts was removed from Monday’s game against the Royals after the seventh inning with a left shin contusion. But it was just precautionary and Betts says he’s fine. Betts owns the highest career AVG against the Royals (.358) among active players (min. 100 PA).
Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers are the only AL players batting .300+ with 20+ HR and 75+ RBI. They have combined for more doubles (74), RBI (172), XBH (125), and hits (280) than any other pair of MLB teammates. Devers hit his 23rd HR of 2019 on Monday. He is the first Red Sox player to reach that total in a season at the age of 22 or younger since George Scott (27 HR) and Tony Conigliaro (28 HR) both did so in 1966.
It’s lefty Eduardo Rodriguez (13-5) for the Sox. Rodriguez was hit with the loss after yielding four runs on five hits and six walks while striking out eight over 6.2 innings Friday against the Yankees. Things didn’t look good for Rodriguez early on, as he surrendered a grand slam in the first inning, but he kept the Yankees off the board until exiting in the seventh. Control was an issue for the lefty, who threw 65 of 113 pitches for strikes in a 4-2 loss. Rodriguez owns a 4.19 ERA and 1.32 WHIP with a 139:50 K:BB over 135.1 innings this season. In his last 13 starts, he is 9-2 with a 3.35 ERA.
The Red Sox are 17-3 in his last 20 starts (13-3, 3.68 ERA, 52 ER/127.1 IP). His .813 winning percentage during that span is tied for 2nd in MLB (min. 20 GS). His team-leading 13 wins match his career-high total from 2018. Rodriguez leads MLB with an average of 8.11 runs of support per start. He has gone 5.0+ innings in 17 straight starts, the Sox’ longest streak of 2019. In his last 3 home starts, he is 3-0 and holding opponents to a .211 AVG (19.0 IP, 15 H, 6 ER).
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 5.73
- Hits: 9.78
- Walks: 3.70
- Strike Outs: 8.44
- Runs: 5.23
- Hits: 8.94
- Walks: 3.50
- Strike Outs: 10.03
Blue Jays vs Rays MLB Odds, Preview & Prediction
Royals vs Red Sox MLB Betting Trends
- Royals are 1-5 in Sparkman’s last 6 road starts vs. a team with a winning record
- Red Sox are 24-3 in Rodriguez’s last 27 starts vs. a team with a losing record
- Royals are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games on the road
- The total has gone OVER in 8 of Kansas City’s last 11 games against an opponent in the American League
- Red Sox are 2-9 SU in their last 11 games this season
- The total has gone OVER in 8 of Boston’s last 9 games at home
Expert Final Score Prediction for Royals vs Red Sox
Kansas City Royals 2 – Boston Red Sox 7
