Kansas City Royals vs Chicago White Sox Prediction & Betting Tips 7/19/2024

Kansas City Royals vs Chicago White Sox Preview

From Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, we have the White Sox and Royals facing off in an AL Central matchup. Friday’s matchup is set to get started at 8:10 PM ET, and NBCS will be televising this one.

The forecast in Kansas City calls for clear skies and temperatures in the low 80s. The Royals are the heavy favorites on the money line, with their odds sitting at -204, while the White Sox are +172. Friday’s pitching matchup is Chris Flexen for the White Sox and Michael Wacha for the Royals. Chicago is 27-71, while the Royals are 52-45.

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Kansas City Royals Trends and Key Stats

• The White Sox are 2-3 across their last five road games. They have gone 2-3 vs. the runline.
• Conversely, the Royals have achieved a 3-2 (SU) record and 4-1 record in their last five home games.
• The Royals have a straight-up record of 6-4 in their last ten games as the favorite, and a 5-5 record vs. the runline.
• Over their previous ten games as the underdog, the White Sox have a straight-up record of 3-7 and a 5-5 record vs. the runline.

Kansas City Royals vs Chicago White Sox Prediction

Chicago is coming off a game in which they wasted several good performances. In their 9-4 loss to Pittsburgh, Andrew Benintendi went 3/4 with a homer and three RBIs. The White Sox also got a good start from Jared Shuster, going 1 2/3 innings, and didn’t give up a run. However, they went on to allow nine runs in the 4th and 7th innings.

Chad Kuhl took the loss out of the bullpen for the White Sox, as Chicago scored their only run in the 2nd inning. The White Sox started Jared Shuster, and he only lasted 1 2/3 innings, but didn’t give up a run. He also issued three walks and hit a batter.

With a record of 27-71, the White Sox are 5th in the AL Central and trail the Guardians by 32.5 games for the division lead. So far, they have really struggled against other AL Central teams, going 8-25 this year. Chicago kicks off their series vs. the Royals having lost four straight games, and they dropped the final game of their series vs. the Pirates.

Chicago has really struggled on the road this year, going 10-37 compared to 17-34 at home. This season, they are just 5-3 as the favorite but have really struggled as the underdog, going 22-68. The White Sox’ overall series record is 6-23-2, and they have dropped four straight series.

Chicago is 44-54 against the run line this season, including a 20-27 mark on the road. The White Sox have failed to cover the run line in their last two road games, and are just 5-3 against the run line as the favorite this season.

The Chicago White Sox are on the road today against the Kansas City Royals. The over/under line for the game is set at 8.5 runs. The White Sox have an average combined run average of 8.2 runs per game this season. Their over/under record for the season is 44-50, and their games have had an average over/under line of 8 runs. In games with an over/under line of 8.5 runs, the White Sox have a record of 12-11. So far this season, 20.4% of their games have had an over/under line set at 8.5 runs.

Chris Flexen gets the start for the White Sox today as he faces the Royals on the road. So far this season, he has made 18 starts and six of them have been quality starts. Flexen’s record for the season is 2-8, and he most recently pitched on July 13th, where he took the loss, going six innings and giving up two earned runs. In that outing, he gave up two homers. Flexen’s ERA for the season is 4.83, along with a WHIP of 1.37. Looking back over his last three outings, he has finished with a no-decision in two of them.

Chicago’s offense has been one of the worst in the league this season, as they are last in the MLB in on-base percentage and OPS. As a team, the White Sox are averaging just 3.2 runs per game, which is the worst mark in the league. They have been slightly better on the road, averaging 3.3 runs per game.

Paul DeJong and Andrew Vaughn are the team’s top power threats, with 16 and 11 homers, respectively. DeJong is also 2nd on the team with 37 RBIs, while Vaughn’s 43 RBIs are the best mark on the team. DeJong is batting just .226 this season, while Vaughn is at .237. Luis Robert Jr. is also tied with Vaughn for the team lead in homers and is 6th on the team with 23 RBIs.

The Royals will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Red Sox with a 5-4 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 9th inning before the Red Sox scored a run in the bottom of the 9th. Kansas City was the +123 underdog on the money line going into the game.

Brady Singer had a rough outing, giving up four earned runs on eight hits and issuing three walks. The Royals also wasted a big game from Salvador Perez, who homered in the 1st inning, going 2/4.

Kansas City is 52-45 overall, putting them 3rd in the AL Central. Currently, they trail the Guardians by seven games. The Royals dropped the final two games of their series vs. the Red Sox and are 5-5 across their last ten games.

This season, the Royals have been good at home, going 31-18 compared to 21-27 on the road. So far, they have been favored 41 times, going 26-15 in those games. As the home favorite, they are 17-7 this season. Kansas City’s overall series record is 13-16-1 heading into today’s matchup vs. the White Sox.

The Royals have been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 55-42 overall. They have been particularly good at home, going 29-20 against the run line. Their average run margin for the season is +0.6, and they have a run line win streak of two games. They have been a better bet as an underdog, going 34-22 against the run line in those games.

Today’s over/under line for the Kansas City Royals’ game against the Chicago White Sox is set at 8.5 runs. The Royals have played to the over in 54 of their 94 games this season, and their games have averaged 8.5 runs per game. The over/under line for their games has been set at 8 runs on average this season, and they have played to the over in 10 of 17 games when the line has been set at 8.5 runs.

Michael Wacha gets the start for the Royals today vs. the White Sox and will look to build off his last outing, where he picked up the win. Against the Cardinals on July 10th, he went five innings, giving up three earned runs, and he issued one homer in the outing. Looking back further, Wacha has turned in a quality start in seven of his 16 outings and has a record of 6-6 with a 3.83 ERA. At home, his ERA is 4.35 compared to 4.11 on the road. So far, he has a record of 3-1 at home.

Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. have been two of the most consistent hitters in the Royals lineup this season, with Perez batting .282 and Witt Jr. hitting .323. Both players have also been swinging the bat well of late, with Witt Jr. going 15/37 in his last nine games, and Perez has gone 11/35 in that stretch. Perez is also on an eight-game hitting streak heading into the game.

As a team, the Royals are averaging 4.6 runs per game, and they have been even better at home, averaging 5.2 runs per contest. Overall, they are 8th in team batting average and have the 2nd fewest strikeouts in the league. Kansas City’s offense has been near the top of the league in home runs, and they are 11th in slugging percentage.

Our prediction for the White Sox vs. Royals game is to take the over, with the line sitting at 8.5 runs. We see the Royals picking up a 5-4 win, giving us a little bit of wiggle room with the over/under line.

If you’re looking for a money line pick, the payout for a Royals win is -204, and our projections have Michael Wacha picking up the win over Chris Flexen. Flexen is projected to finish with just four strikeouts and Flexen with five.

Kansas City Royals vs Chicago White Sox Betting Tips

• Take the Royals on the moneyline
• On the run line we like the White Sox (+1.5)
• Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over

Kansas City Royals Injury Report

Chicago White Sox Injury Report