The Kansas City Royals (41-33) travel to face off against the Oakland Athletics (27-48) on Wednesday, June 19th. This game will be played at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland and televised on BSKC. The Athletics are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Royals are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Athletics. First pitch is set for 8:40 CT.
Royals vs Athletics
Thanks to a two-run homer from Zack Gelof and a three-run 4th inning for the A’s offense, they picked up a 7-5 win over the Royals in the most recent game of this series. Heading into the game, the A’s were at +113 on the money line.
Kansas City had a late rally in the 8th, scoring two runs to cut the deficit to 7-5, but Mason Miller closed things out for the A’s. Alec Marsh had a rough outing for the Royals, going just three innings while giving up seven runs and took the loss.
Hogan Harris pitched well for the A’s in this one, getting the win after going five innings and giving up just one earned run. He finished the game with three strikeouts but issued two walks.
The Royals are 41-33 overall and trail the Guardians by five games in the AL Central. They have dropped two straight games, and their series record is 11-11-1 this year. Kansas City has gone 3-7 over their last 10 games and lost the series opener vs. the Athletics.
At home, the Royals have gone 25-14 this year, and they are just under .500 on the road at 16-19. As the favorite, the Royals are 19-10 this year and 22-23 as the underdog. So far, they have gone 6-5 as the road favorite.
When the Royals are on the road, they are a good bet to cover the run line, as they are 21-14 in those situations. Overall, they are 44-30 vs. the run line this season. They have been the favorite in 29 games and have covered in 15 of those games. Their average run margin in their wins is 3.8, while it is -2.9 in their losses.
When the Royals are on the road, the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs, and their games have averaged 8.8 runs per game this season. Overall, the over/under record for Kansas City games is 34-38, and the average over/under line for their games is 8 runs. When the line is set at 7.5 runs, their over/under record is 3-9. The majority of their games this season have had higher over/under lines, with 75.7% of their games having lines set higher than 7.5 runs.
Cole Ragans Gets The Start For The Royals
Kansas City is sending left-hander Cole Ragans to the mound today vs. the Athletics. He has made 15 starts this year and has a record of 4-4 with an ERA of 3.14. Ragans’ WHIP for the season is currently 1.14. In his 15 appearances, he has turned in 10 quality starts and is averaging 10.67 strikeouts per nine innings. Ragans’ last outing came vs. the Dodgers, where he went seven innings, giving up three earned runs, and finished with a no-decision. He has not taken a loss in his last three outings.
Royals Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Royals are averaging 4.8 runs per game, which is 8th in the league. At home, they have been even better, averaging 5.4 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .249, which is 7th in the MLB, and have the 7th best slugging percentage in the league. Kansas City’s offense is led by Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez, who are both batting over .290 and have 11 homers apiece.
Bobby Witt Jr. has been hot of late, going 8/25 in his last six games, and he is also on a three-game hitting streak. MJ Melendez has also been swinging the bat well, going 4/10 in his last five games. However, the Royals will need to see Nelson Velazquez and MJ Melendez turn things around, as they are batting .202 and .171, respectively.
Oakland is 27-48 overall this season, and they are 17 games behind the Mariners in the AL West. So far, they have gone just 6-14 against other AL West teams. The Athletics are looking to pick up a win today, as they dropped nine straight games before winning the first game of this series vs. the Royals.
At home, the Athletics are 16-20 this year compared to an 11-28 mark on the road. This season, the Athletics have been favored in eight games, going 6-2 in those games. As for playing as the underdog, they are 21-46 this year. Oakland’s overall series record is 7-15-1, and they have dropped seven straight series.
The A’s have been a solid run line bet this season, going 37-38 overall. They have been better on the road, going 20-19, compared to 17-19 at home. They have been a good bet as the underdog, going 35-32 on the run line. They have covered the run line in two straight games as the underdog.
The Oakland Athletics are playing at home against the Kansas City Royals today, and the over/under line for the game is set at 7.5 runs. The combined run average in Athletics games this season is 8.5 runs, and their over/under record is 33-40. The average over/under line in their games is 8 runs, and when the line is set at 7.5 runs, their record is 10-13. So far this season, 65.3% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 7.5 runs. The over has hit in their last two games.
Luis Medina Gets The Start For The Athletics
Luis Medina will be making his third start of the season for the A’s, and it will be his first home start of the year. He has taken the loss in each of his first two outings, with his most recent start coming against the Twins, where he went 5 innings and gave up 4 runs on 8 hits. In his first start of the year, he took the loss against the Blue Jays, going 4 2/3 innings and giving up 6 runs.
Athletics Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Athletics offense is averaging just 3.6 runs per game, which is 28th in the league. They have been slightly better at home, averaging 4.1 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .222, which is 22nd in the league. However, they do have the 5th most home runs in the league and have the 11th best isolated power figure in the league.
JJ Bleday and Shea Langeliers are both tied for the team lead with 13 homers, with Bleday having the better batting average of the two at .261. Bleday has been on a tear of late, going 10/20 in his last five games with a homer and three RBIs. Brent Rooker also has 13 homers this season and leads the team with 42 RBIs.
Royals vs Athletics Prediction
Our pick for today’s Royals vs. Athletics matchup is to take the Athletics on the money line at +148. We have the Athletics winning this one by a final score of 6-5.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Luis Medina is projected to finish with four strikeouts, which has him ranked as the eighth worst among today’s starters. As for Cole Ragans, he is projected to finish with five strikeouts, which has him ranked 19th.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
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Last updated:June 19, 2024 Athletics, Royals