The Kansas City Royals (41-32) travel to face off against the Oakland Athletics (26-48) on Tuesday, June 18th. This game will be played at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland and televised on BSKC. Both the Royals and Athletics are looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. First pitch is set for 8:40 CT.
Royals vs Athletics
Heading into their last game vs. the Dodgers, the Royals closed out the series with a 3-0 loss. Kansas City was the +216 underdog on the money line going into this matchup. Things started off well for the Royals, as Brady Singer was excellent over the first three innings, but he ran into trouble in the 3rd, giving up three runs. Kansas City’s offense scored their only three runs in the 2nd inning.
Brady Singer took the loss but pitched well for the Royals, going six innings and giving up just three earned runs, and striking out four. Kansas City’s offense scored their three runs on three hits but didnjson’t have any other hits the rest of the game.
Kansas City is 41-32 overall and trails the Guardians by five games in the AL Central. The Royals lost two of three games in their most recent series vs. the Dodgers. So far, they have gone 13-9 against other teams in the AL Central.
At home, the Royals have been good this year, going 25-14. On the road, they are just under .500 at 16-18. As the favorite, the Royals are 19-9 this year, and they are 22-23 when the underdog. So far, their overall series record is 11-11-1, and they have dropped two straight series.
When taking the Royals on the run line this season, it has been more profitable to do so when they are the underdog. Kansas City is 29-16 vs. the run line as the underdog, compared to 15-13 when they are the favorite. The Royals’ average run margin in winning games is +3.8, while their average run margin in losing games is -3.0.
Today’s over/under line of 8 runs for the Kansas City Royals’ game against the Oakland Athletics is right in line with their season average. The Royals have played in 71 games this season, and the over/under line has been set at 8 runs in 15 of those games. In those games, the over has hit 8 times, the under has hit 6 times, and there has been 1 push.
Alec Marsh Gets The Start For The Royals
Kansas City is sending Alec Marsh to the mound today vs. the Athletics. The right-hander has made 12 starts this year and has a record of 5-3 with a 3.63 ERA. Marsh’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.09, and he has turned in three quality starts. In his most recent outing, Marsh didn’t allow a run in seven innings of work vs. the Yankees. He finished with a no-decision in that outing. Before that, he had given up at least four earned runs in three straight starts. So far, he has been much better at home, with a 3.78 ERA compared to 3.68 on the road.
Royals Offense Breakdown
Heading into today’s game, the Royals are averaging 4.8 runs per game, which is 8th in the league. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.4 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .250, which is 6th in the league, and have the 4th fewest strikeouts in the league. Kansas City’s top two home run hitters are Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez, who both have 11 homers this season. Witt Jr. is hitting .327 for the season and has gone 16/42 in his last 10 games.
Over his last nine games, MJ Melendez has three homers, but he is just 6/28 in that stretch. For the season, he is batting just .171. Nelson Velazquez is also struggling at the plate, with a batting average of .205. However, he is 2nd on the team with eight homers.
The Athletics wrapped up their series vs. the Twins with an 8-7 loss on the road. Oakland was the +171 underdog going into this matchup. Things started off well for the Athletics, as they got on the board with three runs in the 2nd inning but gave up the lead right away as the Twins scored three times in the bottom of the first.
Oakland started Joey Estes, and he took the loss, going only 2 2/3 innings, and giving up six earned runs on eight hits. The Athletics’s offense scored three more runs in the 2nd inning but didn’t score again until the 7th.
The Athletics kick off their series vs. the Royals having lost nine straight games, and they are 17 games below .500 at 26-48. Oakland is in 5th place in the AL West, trailing the Mariners by 17 games. So far, they are just 6-14 in divisional games this year.
At home, the Athletics are 15-20 compared to an 11-28 mark on the road. This season, the Athletics are just 6-2 as the favorite but have really struggled as the underdog, going 20-46. So far, they have dropped seven straight series and are 7-15-1 overall in series this year.
Despite being underdogs in most games, the A’s have been a good bet on the run line this season, going 36-38 overall. They have been especially good on the road, going 20-19 on the run line. Oakland’s average run margin in winning games is +2.9, while it’s -3.5 in losses.
When the Oakland Athletics are at home, the over/under line is set at 8 runs. The A’s have a combined run average of 8.4 runs per game this season. Their over/under record is 32-40, and their average over/under line is also 8 runs. When the line is set at 8 runs, their record is 8-11-1. So far this season, 37.8% of their games have had over/under lines set at 8 runs, while 35.1% have had lines set below that number.
Hogan Harris Gets The Start For The Athletics
Hogan Harris will be making his third start of the season for the A’s, and he will be taking on the Royals at home. In his first two outings, Harris has not factored into the decision, but he has been solid, giving up just 2 earned runs in each start. He has 10 strikeouts in 11 innings pitched this year.
Athletics Offense Breakdown
Over his last eight games, Tyler Soderstrom has been on fire for the Athletics, hitting 4 home runs and going 11/30 (.367). This has helped him drive in eight runs and score seven times. Soderstrom’s hot streak has also put him on an eight-game hitting streak. Catcher Shea Langeliers also comes into the game on a four-game hitting streak but is batting just .205 for the season.
As a team, the Athletics are 5th in home runs but are batting just .220 for the season, which is the worst mark in the league. They are also near the bottom of the league in both runs per game and on-base percentage. Currently, they are averaging just 3.6 runs per contest.
Royals vs Athletics Prediction
With the Athletics being the underdog in this one, we really like them to pick up a win at home, and at +114, there is a lot of value in picking them up on the money line.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Alec Marsh is projected to finish with six strikeouts, which is the fifth-best among starters today. As for Hogan Harris, he is projected to finish with five strikeouts, and the Athletics are projected to finish with 12 as a team.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
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Last updated:June 18, 2024 Athletics, Royals