Los Angeles Dodgers vs Kansas City Royals Preview
From Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, the Royals and Dodgers face off in an interleague matchup. First pitch for this one is set for 9:10 PM ET. BSKC is carrying a record of 40-31, while the Dodgers are 43-28 and are the favorites on the money line (-209). The money line odds for a Royals win are sitting at +175.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is slated to start for the Dodgers, while the Royals are going with Seth Lugo. In the AL Central, the Royals are in 2nd place, while the Dodgers are three games ahead of the Diamondbacks in the NL West.
Check out BetCoco for Los Angeles Dodgers – Kansas City Royals odds
Los Angeles Dodgers Trends and Key Stats
- 2-3 is the record of Royals in their last five road games. They have also gone 4-1 vs. the runline.
- On the other side, the Dodgers have gone 3-2 (SU) and 2-3 in their previous five home contests.
- Over their last ten games when playing as the favorite, the Dodgers have won 5-5 straight-up, and have a 3-7 record vs. the runline.
- Looking back at their last ten games as the underdog, the Royals have a 4-6 straight-up record and a 5-5 record vs. the runline.
Los Angeles picked up a 4-3 win over the Royals in the most recent game of this series. The Dodgers had a three-run 5th inning and scored the game’s go-ahead run in the 8th. As for the Royals, they scored three runs in the 4th but were held in check the rest of the way.
Gavin Stone got the win for the Dodgers, going seven innings and giving up three earned runs. He finished the game with just three strikeouts but induced 14 ground ball outs. As for the Royals, Cole Ragans gave them a good outing, going seven innings and striking out four.
Miguel Rojas and Chris Taylor each homered for the Dodgers, while Shohei Ohtani went 2/4 with two RBIs. Salvador Perez hit the game’s only other home run while going 1/3 with three RBIs.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs Kansas City Royals Prediction
Kansas City is 40-31 overall this season, and they are six games behind the Guardians for the AL Central lead. The Royals lost the first game of this series vs. the Dodgers and are 11-10-1 in series this year. At home, the Royals have gone 25-14 this year and are just under .500 at 15-17 on the road.
As the favorite, the Royals have gone 19-9 this year, and they are 21-22 when listed as the underdog. Looking at their overall mark, the Royals have gone just 4-6 over their last ten games.
When the Royals are on the road, they have covered the run line in 20 of 32 games, including the last two. They have been the underdog in 43 games, covering the run line in 28 of them. Their average run differential is +0.8 runs per game, but it jumps to +1.1 at home.
Today’s over/under line of 8 runs is a bit lower than the Kansas City Royals’ average combined run average of 8.9 runs per game this season. The Royals have played in 69 games this season, with 40 of those games having over/under lines set higher than 8 runs, and they have gone 8-5-1 in games with an over/under line of 8 runs. Their over/under record for the season is 32-37, and they are currently on a two-game under streak.
Seth Lugo will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Yankees, as he gets the start for the Royals today. In that June 10th start, he took the loss, giving up four earned runs in seven innings of work. Looking back over his last four starts, Lugo has finished with a no-decision, win, and then a loss in his most recent outing. Lugo’s ERA for the season is 2.37, and he has a record of 9-2. So far, he has made 14 starts, and opponents are batting .220 this season vs. Lugo. Per nine innings, he is averaging 7.39 strikeouts and 1.97 walks.
Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez have been two of the Royals’ top hitters this season, as both players are batting over .297 and have 11 home runs apiece. Witt Jr. comes into the game with a batting average of .325 and has gone 14/38 over his last nine games. Perez is also swinging a hot bat of late, as he is currently on a four-game hitting streak.
Overall, the Royals are 7th in the league in scoring at 4.8 runs per game. At home, they have been even better, averaging 5.4 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .252 and have the 6th best slugging percentage in the league. So far, the Royals have been a tough team to strike out, as they have the 3rd fewest strikeouts in the league.
Los Angeles will take on the Royals at home today with an overall record of 43-28, which has them leading the NL West by seven games over the Padres. The Dodgers are 13-10 in division play and are looking to build on their 1-0 series lead over the Royals.
This season, the Dodgers have been really good at home, going 23-14, and they are 20-14 on the road. Los Angeles has been really good as the favorite this year, putting together a mark of 41-25. As the underdog, they are just 2-3 this year.
When the Dodgers win, they win big, with an average run margin of 4.2 runs per game. That’s helped them to a run line record of 35-36, including 17-20 at home. Their overall run differential is +1.5 runs per game, and they’ve gone 33-33 vs. the run line as the favorite. L.A. is 18-16 vs. the run line on the road, where they’ve outscored opponents by an average of 1.6 runs per game.
Los Angeles Dodgers games have had an average over/under line of 8 runs this season, and their over/under record is 35-36. When the line is set at 8 runs, their over/under record is 3-6. The Dodgers have played 50 games with over/under lines set higher than 8 runs, which accounts for 70.4% of their games. They have played 12 games with over/under lines set lower than 8 runs, which accounts for 16.9% of their games. The under has hit in their last three games.
Right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto gets the start for the Dodgers today as he faces the Royals at home. He has made 13 starts this season and has a record of 6-2 with a 3.00 ERA. Yamamoto’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.07. In his 13 starts, he has turned in seven quality starts and is averaging 10.38 strikeouts per nine innings. Yamamoto most recently faced the Yankees, where he went seven innings, giving up no earned runs and coming away with a no-decision. Before that outing, he had allowed at least two homers in three straight starts.
Los Angeles has been one of the best offensive teams in the league this season, as they are 5th in runs per game and are 3rd in home runs. As a team, they are batting .257, which is the 3rd best mark in the MLB. The Dodgers also lead the league in walks and have the best on-base percentage in the league.
Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernandez are tied for the team lead with 17 home runs, with Ohtani batting .309 and Hernandez at .257. Hernandez has gone deep five times in his past 10 games, going 10/37 overall in that stretch. Mookie Betts is also swinging a hot bat, as he is currently on an eight-game hitting streak and has gone deep 10 times this season.
Our prediction for this Dodgers vs. Royals matchup is to take the over, with the line currently sitting at 8 runs. We actually have the Dodgers winning this one 6-5, giving us some nice cushion on the over/under line.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Yoshinobu Yamamoto finishing with six strikeouts, which is good for the sixth highest among today’s starters. As for Seth Lugo, we have him finishing with just four strikeouts, which is the lowest among today’s starters.
As for the money line, you could take the Dodgers, but with a payout of -209, we prefer the over. However, if you are looking to parlay this game, you could take the Dodgers and pair them with another game to increase your payout.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs Kansas City Royals Betting Tips
- Take the Dodgers on the moneyline
- On the run line we like the Royals (+1.5)
- Projecting a combined 11 runs, we like the over
Los Angeles Dodgers Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Joe Kelly | Out | Shoulder |
| Ryan Brasier | Out | Calf |
| Clayton Kershaw | Out | Shoulder |
| Max Muncy | Out | Oblique |
| Dustin May | Out | Elbow |
| Brusdar Graterol | Out | Shoulder |
| Tony Gonsolin | Out | Arm |
| Connor Brogdon | Out | Foot |
| Bobby Miller | Out | Shoulder |
| Kyle Hurt | Out | Shoulder |
| Emmet Sheehan | Out | Elbow |
Kansas City Royals Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Jordan Lyles | Out | Personal |
| Salvador Perez | Questionable | Knee |
| Michael Wacha | Out | Foot |
| Hunter Renfroe | Out | Toe |
| Josh Taylor | Out | Biceps |
| Kyle Wright | Out | Shoulder |
| Kris Bubic | Out | Elbow |
| Michael Massey | Out | Back |
