Toronto Blue Jays vs Kansas City Royals Preview
At 7:07 PM from the Rogers Centre in Toronto, we have an American League matchup between the Royals and Blue Jays. Heading into Tuesday’s game, the Royals are 17-13, while the Blue Jays are 15-15. Kansas City is currently in second place in the AL Central, and the Blue Jays are fourth in the AL East.
Jose Berrios is starting for the Blue Jays, and he is up against Cole Ragans for the Royals. Toronto is at home and is the favorite on the money line at -141. The over/under line is at 7.5 runs.
Check out BetCoco for Toronto Blue Jays – Kansas City Royals odds
Toronto Blue Jays Trends and Key Stats
- Over the course of their previous five away games, the Royals have recorded a 1-4 record, with a 2-3 performance on the runline.
- Conversely, the Blue Jays have achieved a 1-4 (SU) record and 1-4 record in their last five home games.
- Over their last ten games when playing as the favorite, the Blue Jays have won 6-4 straight-up, and have a 5-5 record vs. the runline.
- When playing as the underdog, the Royals have won 5-5 of their previous ten games straight-up, while going 6-4 against the runline.
It was a close game in the most recent game of this Blue Jays vs Royals series. Toronto went into the matchup as the slight favorites at -173 on the money line.
Kansas City had a late rally in the game, scoring one run in the 6th inning and adding four more in the 8th, but the Blue Jays held on for a 6-5 win. Heading into the game, the Royals were at +139 on the money line.
Yariel Rodriguez got the start for the Blue Jays, going just 3 2/3 innings while giving up two runs and striking out one. Genesis Cabrera got the win out of the bullpen, and Nate Pearson got the save. Jonathan Bowlan had a rough outing for the Royals, taking the loss.
Toronto Blue Jays vs Kansas City Royals Prediction
Kansas City is on the road today vs. the Blue Jays, having dropped three straight games. These three losses have come after taking the first game of their series vs. the Tigers. Currently, the Royals are 17-13 overall, putting them 2nd in the AL Central, three games behind the Guardians for the division lead.
At home, the Royals have gone 12-5 this season compared to 5-8 on the road. So far, they have been the favorite in nine games, going 6-3 in those games. As for their record as the underdog, the Royals are 11-10 this season. Kansas City’s overall series record is 4-5 heading into today’s game.
When the Royals are on the road, they have been a good bet against the run line, going 8-5. Their average run margin in those games is +0.3, and their overall run line record is 19-11. They’ve been even better against the run line as an underdog, going 14-7. Their average run margin in those games is +1.4.
Today’s over/under line is 7.5 runs, and the Royals have gone under in 3 of 3 games with that line this season. The Royals’ games have averaged 7.8 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 10-18. Their games have had an average over/under line of 8 runs per game this season.
Kansas City is sending left-hander Cole Ragans to the mound today vs. the Blue Jays. He has made six starts this year and has a record of 1-2 with an ERA of 3.90. Opponents are batting .266 off Ragans this year, and his WHIP is 1.43. In his six starts, Ragans has turned in three quality starts and is coming off an outing in which he didn’t allow a run. Ragans’ last outing came on April 25th, where he got the win, going five innings and giving up just one earned run. His ERA at home is 12.0 compared to 0.0 on the road.
Salvador Perez has been the Royals’ best hitter so far this season, batting .346 with a team-high seven home runs and 26 RBIs, which is 3rd in the league. Perez is also on a four-game hitting streak. Bobby Witt Jr. is also swinging a hot bat right now, going 11/35 in his last nine games. Witt Jr. is batting .306 this season and has four homers.
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 7th in home runs and have the 2nd fewest strikeouts in the league. However, they are batting just .236 and have a collective OBP of .303.
Toronto is at an even 15-15 overall heading into today’s matchup vs. the Royals. The Blue Jays are 4th in the AL East, putting them four games behind the Orioles for the division lead. They are 5-5 against other AL East teams this year. Toronto has won two straight games, taking the final game of their series vs. the Dodgers and winning the first game of this series vs. the Royals.
As the favorite, the Blue Jays are 12-6 this year, and they are 3-9 as the underdog. At home, they are 8-3 when favored. So far, they are 8-5 at home compared to a 7-10 mark on the road. Toronto’s overall series record is 4-4-1, and they lost two straight series before winning the series vs. the Dodgers.
The Blue Jays have an average run margin of -0.8 runs per game this season, and their run line record is 14-16. They have gone 6-7 against the run line at home, where their average scoring margin is -0.7 runs per game. They are 8-9 against the run line on the road, where their average scoring margin is -0.8 runs per game. As the favorite, Toronto is 10-8 against the run line, while as the underdog, they are 4-8.
When the Blue Jays play at home, the over/under line is usually set at 8 runs. However, in their last game, the line was set at 7.5 runs, and the game went over the total. The Blue Jays have played 29 games this season, and 25 of them have had over/under lines set at 7.5 runs or higher. Their games have averaged 8.0 runs per game, and their over/under record is 12-17.
José Berríos will be looking to bounce back from his last outing, where he took the loss vs. the Royals. In that April 25th start, he went five innings, giving up two earned runs, three hits, and three walks. Before that outing, he had won three straight starts. Berríos has made six starts this year and has a record of 4-1. His ERA for the season is an impressive 1.23, along with a WHIP of 1.04. Opposing batters are hitting just .197 off the right-hander this year. Berríos has one complete game and five quality starts this season.
As a team, the Blue Jays are batting just .230 this season and are averaging only 3.6 runs per game (26th in the league). They have been even worse at home, averaging just 3.5 runs per game. Toronto’s offense has been led by Justin Turner, who is batting .311 this season and has a team-high 15 RBIs. Turner is also 2nd on the team with four homers. Daulton Varsho has six homers for the Blue Jays, which is 5th in the league, but is batting only .233 for the season.
Varsho has been swinging the bat better of late, going 9/31 in his last 10 games with two homers and six RBIs. Danny Jansen has also hit two homers in his last seven games, going 5/19 in that stretch. Jansen is batting just .192 for the season.
Our prediction for the Royals vs. Blue Jays game is to take the Royals on the money line, with the payout being +119. We actually have the Royals winning this one by a score of 5-4.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have José Berríos finishing with five strikeouts, which is lower than his season average. As for Cole Ragans, we have him finishing with just three strikeouts, which is the lowest among today’s starters.
Toronto Blue Jays vs Kansas City Royals Betting Tips
- We like the Royals on the moneyline (+119)
- The Royals are also our pick on the spread at +1.5
- Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over
Toronto Blue Jays Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Kevin Kiermaier | Out | Hip Flexor |
| Chad Green | Out | Shoulder |
| Alek Manoah | Out | Shoulder |
| Bowden Francis | Out | Forearm |
Kansas City Royals Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Jordan Lyles | Out | Personal |
| Salvador Perez | Probable | Back |
| Carlos Hernández | Out | Shoulder |
| Josh Taylor | Out | Biceps |
| Kyle Wright | Out | Shoulder |
| Kris Bubic | Out | Elbow |
| Jake Brentz | Out | Hamstring |
| Alec Marsh | Out | Forearm |
