Kansas City Royals vs San Francisco Giants Preview
From Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, we have the Giants and Royals facing off in an interleague matchup. Friday’s game is set to get started at 8:10 PM ET, and NBCS will be televising it.
The forecast for Friday’s matchup calls for clear skies and temperatures in the mid to upper 90s. The over/under line is currently at 8.5 runs, and the Royals are favored at -164 on the money line. The Giants will be looking to pull off the road upset with a money line payout of +140. Mason Black is starting for the Giants, and he is facing off against Michael Wacha and the Royals. Wacha has a 4.55 ERA this season.
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Kansas City Royals vs. San Francisco Giants Trends and Key Stats
- The Giants are 4-1 across their last five road games. They have gone 4-1 vs. the runline.
- On the other side, the Royals have gone 3-2 (SU) and 4-1 in their previous five home contests.
- Over their last ten games when playing as the favorite, the Royals have won 6-4 straight-up, and have a 5-5 record vs. the runline.
- Looking at the Giants’ previous ten games as the underdog they are 3-7 straight-up and 5-5 vs. the runline.
Kansas City Royals vs San Francisco Giants Prediction
The Giants will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Orioles with a 5-3 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 4th inning before the Orioles scored three runs in the 4th to take the lead. San Francisco was the +138 underdog on the road going into this matchup.
Logan Webb got the start for the Giants and took the loss. He only lasted five innings, giving up three earned runs on four hits. Michael Conforto was hot at the plate, going 2/4 with a homer and two RBIs.
San Francisco is 74-79 overall, and they are 17 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West. So far, they have gone 24-25 in divisional games. The Giants are on the road today, and they are 33-42 as the road team.
As the favorite, the Giants have gone 46-32 this year. They are 28-47 as the underdog and have gone 20-31 as the road underdog. The Giants’ overall series record is 23-22-4, and they have won two straight series on the road. At home, the Giants have dropped four straight series.
When it comes to betting the run line on the San Francisco Giants, it’s been a coin flip this season. They are 76-77 against the run line overall, but they have been better on the road, going 42-33. They have been a better bet as an underdog, going 43-32, than as a favorite, where they are 33-45. Their average run margin is -0.1 runs per game, but that number is slightly better on the road at -0.3.
San Francisco has been a solid over team this season, with a 78-69 O/U record. Their games have averaged 8.6 runs per game, and their games with an O/U line of 8.5 have gone over 14 times and under 9 times. The Giants have gone over in three straight games, and their games have had an average O/U line of 8 runs.
Right-hander Mason Black is starting for the Giants today as he faces the Royals on the road. Black has made six starts and seven appearances this season, and his record is 0-4 with a 7.07 ERA. In his 28 innings of work, Black has allowed seven home runs and is coming off a start in which he gave up two homers and took the loss. Looking back at his last three starts, Black has given up at least two earned runs and one homer in each outing. Opponents are batting .306 off Black this season.
So far this season, the Giants offense is averaging 4.3 runs per game, which is 17th in the league. They have been slightly better on the road, averaging 4.4 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .238, but this is 14th in the league. San Francisco’s offense has been led by Matt Chapman and Heliot Ramos, who have 24 and 21 home runs, respectively. Chapman also leads the team with 73 RBIs.
Looking at recent performances, LaMonte Wade Jr. has gone 9/29 in his last nine games, and Mike Yastrzemski has four homers in his last eight games but is batting just .207 in this stretch. Michael Conforto comes into the game on a three-game hitting streak.
The Royals will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Tigers with a 4-2 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 8th inning before the Tigers scored three runs in the top of the 8th. Kansas City was the +115 underdog at home going into the game.
Alec Marsh got the start for the Royals and took the loss. He only lasted 2 2/3 innings, giving up three earned runs on five hits. Offensively, the Royals scored their only two runs in thejson 1st inning. Yuli Gurriel and Salvador Perez each had two hits. The Royals only other hit was a single by Nick Pratto.
Kansas City is 82-71 overall and 6.5 games behind the Guardians in the AL Central. The Royals will host the Giants today having lost four straight games, dropping the final game of their series vs. the Mariners and then getting swept by the Tigers. So far, they have gone 33-19 in divisional games.
At home, the Royals are 45-33 this season compared to 37-38 on the road. As the favorite, the Royals have gone 47-28 and 35-43 as the underdog. This year, they are 30-19 as the home favorite, and their overall series record is 22-25-2.
The Royals have been a solid bet this season, going 85-68 against the run line. They are 43-35 at home and 42-33 on the road. Their average run margin is +0.6 runs per game, and their average run margin in winning games is +4.0 runs per game.
When the Kansas City Royals play at home, the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs. Their combined run average is 8.7 runs per game, and their over/under record for the season is 67-81. Their games have averaged 8 runs per game, and their over/under record when the line is set at 8.5 runs is 17-26. This season, 32.0% of their games have had over/under lines set at 8.5 runs, and their current under streak is at 2 games.
Michael Wacha gets the start for the Royals today and will look to build off his last outing, where he gave up just one earned run in five innings of work. In that outing, he picked up the win and finished with a solid line of 8 strikeouts, 3 walks, and 4 hits allowed. Wacha has made 27 starts this season and has a record of 13-7 to go along with an ERA of 3.29. Looking at his home/away splits, Wacha is 7-2 with a 3.49 ERA at home compared to 6-5 with a 3.70 ERA on the road.
Heading into today’s game, the Royals are averaging 4.7 runs per game, which is good for 9th in the league. They have been even better at home, averaging 4.9 runs per game. Overall, they are batting .252 as a team, which is 7th in the league. The Royals are also one of the toughest teams to strike out in the league, but they don’t draw many walks.
Bobby Witt Jr. has been one of the league’s top home run hitters this season, as his 32 homers are 9th in the league. He also comes into the game with a team-high 108 RBIs. Witt Jr. has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 7/26 in his last seven games, with two homers and nine RBIs. Salvador Perez is also having a strong season for the Royals, batting .276 with 27 homers.
Our pick for this Giants vs. Royals matchup is to take the Giants on the money line, where they are currently at +140. We actually have the Giants winning this one 5-4, so there is also some value in taking the over, as the line is currently sitting at 8.5 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Michael Wacha finishing with four strikeouts and Mason Black with five. Wacha is projected to finish with the most earned runs of any starter and also the most hits allowed. As for Black, he is predicted to give up six hits and finish with a total of 16th among starters in terms of earned runs.
Kansas City Royals vs San Francisco Giants Betting Tips
- We like the Giants on the moneyline (+140)
- The Giants are also our pick on the spread at +1.5
- Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over
Kansas City Royals Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Will Smith | Out | Back |
| Chris Stratton | Out | Forearm |
| Michael Lorenzen | Out | Hamstring |
| Hunter Harvey | Out | Back |
| Josh Taylor | Out | Biceps |
| Kyle Wright | Out | Shoulder |
| Vinnie Pasquantino | Out | Thumb |
| James McArthur | Out | Elbow |
San Francisco Giants Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Robbie Ray | Out | Hamstring |
| Wilmer Flores | Out | Knee |
| Tom Murphy | Out | Knee |
| Matt Chapman | Out | Personal |
| Kyle Harrison | Out | Shoulder |
| Randy Rodríguez | Out | Elbow |
| Keaton Winn | Out | Elbow |
| Jung Hoo Lee | Out | Shoulder |
