New York Yankees vs Kansas City Royals Preview
The forecast for Wednesday’s matchup between the Royals and Yankees calls for cloudy skies and temperatures in the low 80s. First pitch from Yankee Stadium is set for 7:05 PM ET. BSKC has the game on TV, and the money line odds have the Yankees as the favorite, with their line sitting at -143.
Kansas City is 80-66 and its starting pitcher is Cole Ragans. Luis Gil gets the start for the Yankees, and they are currently leading the AL East with a record of 83-62.
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New York Yankees vs. Kansas City Royals Trends and Key Stats
- The Royals are 1-4 in their five most recent road games, including a 2-3 runline record.
- In the Yankees’ five most recent home games, their record stands at 2-3 (SU) with 2-3 against the spread.
- Over their last ten games as the favorite, the Yankees have a straight-up record of 4-6, while going 4-6 against the runline.
- Looking at the Royals’ previous ten games as the underdog they are 2-8 straight-up and 3-7 vs. the runline.
Thanks to a good outing from Seth Lugo, the Royals picked up a 5-0 road win over the Yankees in the most recent game of this series. Heading into the game, the Royals were at +122 on the money line.
Lugo went seven innings for the Royals, giving up just three hits and striking out 10. He picked up a win in the game, while Marcus Stroman took the loss for the Yankees, going 5 1/3 innings and giving up three earned runs.
Kansas City got on the board with two runs in the 3rd inning and added three more in the 5th. As for the Yankees, they had their best scoring chance in the 7th, loading the bases with no outs, but could only push across one run.
New York Yankees vs Kansas City Royals Prediction
Kansas City is 80-66 overall and 2nd in the AL Central, 3.5 games behind the Guardians for the division lead. The Royals are 33-16 against other teams in the AL Central. They have split the first two games of their series vs. the Yankees and have an overall series record of 21-23-2.
At home, the Royals have gone 45-30 this year, and they are just above .500 at 35-36 on the road. As the favorite, the Royals are 46-26 this year, and they are 34-40 as the underdog.
The Royals have been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 81-65 overall. They’ve been even better on the road, where they are 38-33 against the run line. They’ve been a good bet as the underdog, going 43-31 against the run line, compared to 38-34 as the favorite.
The Kansas City Royals are on the road today against the New York Yankees, and the over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs. The Royals have a combined run average of 8.8 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 65-76. The average over/under line for their games is 8 runs, and when the line is set at 8 runs, their record is 14-13-3. Overall, 62.3% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs.
Kansas City is sending left-hander Cole Ragans to the mound today as he faces the Yankees on the road. Ragans has made 29 starts this season and has a record of 11-9 with a 3.33 ERA. In his 29 appearances, he has turned in 18 quality starts and is averaging 10.97 strikeouts per nine innings. Ragans’ most recent outing came against the Twins, where he picked up the win, going six innings and not allowing a run. Before that, he had given up at least two homers in three straight outings. Ragans has been much better on the road, coming in with a 3.18 ERA compared to 5.29 at home.
Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. have been two of the league’s top run producers this season, as Perez’s 100 RBIs are 5th best in the MLB, and Witt Jr. is 6th with 99 RBIs. Witt Jr. also has the league’s 11th best home run total at 30, while Perez has gone deep 26 times. Witt Jr. comes into the game on a four-game hitting streak, as does Perez. Witt Jr. has gone 5/16 in his last four games, while Perez has gone 7/18.
As a team, the Royals are averaging 4.7 runs per game this season and have been even better at home, putting up 5 runs per contest. Overall, they are 6th in team batting average and have the 8th best slugging percentage in the league. Collectively, they are the 2nd toughest team to strike out in the MLB.
The Yankees are 83-62 overall this season, putting them in 1st place in the AL East. They hold a slim half-game lead over the Orioles for the division lead. New York is 22-23 against other teams in the AL East. The Yankees have gone 4-6 over their last 10 games and are currently tied with the Royals in their series at 1-1.
So far, the Yankees have been good on the road, going 45-30. At home, they are just above .500 at 38-32. As the favorite, the Yankees are 65-55 this year, and they are 37-30 when favored at home. As for their overall record as the underdog, they are 18-7 this season.
When betting the run line on the Yankees, it’s been a good idea to take them on the road, as they are 44-31 against the run line away from home. They have an average run differential of +1.2 runs per game on the road, compared to +0.5 runs per game at home. As an underdog, they are 21-4 against the run line, while as a favorite, they are just 55-65.
The Yankees are playing at home against the Royals today, and the over/under line is set at 8 runs. The combined run average in games involving the Yankees this season is 9.2 runs, and their over/under record is 79-62. The average over/under line for their games is 9 runs, and when the line is set at 8 runs, their record is 10-15-2. In 101 of their games this season, the over/under line has been set higher than 8 runs, which accounts for 69.7% of their games.
Luis Gil will be looking to build off his last outing, where he didn’t give up a run. In that September 6th start vs. the Cubs, he went six innings, picking up the win. Looking at his overall numbers, Gil has made 25 starts, and opponents have a batting average of .174 vs. the right-hander. Gil’s record for the season is 13-6, and his ERA is 3.24, along with a WHIP of 1.16. For the year, he has turned in 10 quality starts and is averaging 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings.
Heading into today’s game, the Yankees are the top home run hitting team in the league and are 2nd in runs per game at 5.2. Overall, they are batting .250 as a team (7th) and have the league’s top offense in terms of scoring. New York is also the top on-base percentage team in the league and have the 2nd best OPS in the league.
Right now, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto are the team’s top power threats, with Judge leading the league with 51 homers and Soto’s 38 homers putting him 4th in the league. Judge also leads the MLB in RBIs, with 126. Gleyber Torres is on an 11-game hitting streak and is batting .381 over his last 10 games.
Our pick for this Yankees vs. Royals matchup is to take the Yankees on the money line at -143. We actually have the Yankees winning this one by a score of 6-5, so you could also look to take the over, as the line is sitting at 8 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Luis Gil is projected to finish with six strikeouts, which is good for 14th among all starters. As for Cole Ragans, he is projected to finish with five K’s, which has him down in 17th.
New York Yankees vs Kansas City Royals Betting Tips
- Take the Yankees on the moneyline
- On the run line we like the Royals (+1.5)
- Projecting a combined 11 runs, we like the over
New York Yankees Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| DJ LeMahieu | Out | Hip |
| Tyler Lyons | Out | Personal |
| Cody Poteet | Out | Tricep |
| Lou Trivino | Out | Elbow |
| Jonathan Loáisiga | Out | Elbow |
| JT Brubaker | Out | Elbow |
| Kenlly Montas | Out | Personal |
Kansas City Royals Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Will Smith | Out | Back |
| Michael Lorenzen | Out | Hamstring |
| Hunter Harvey | Out | Back |
| Josh Taylor | Out | Biceps |
| Kyle Wright | Out | Shoulder |
| Vinnie Pasquantino | Out | Thumb |
