Toronto Blue Jays vs Kansas City Royals Preview
At 3:07 PM ET, the Royals and Blue Jays will face off in an American League matchup. This one is being played at the Rogers Centre in Toronto and features a Royals club that is 18-13 compared to the Blue Jays at 15-16. Kansas City is currently +111 on the money line, and the over/under line is at 8.5 runs.
Wednesday’s starting pitching matchup is Seth Lugo for the Royals and Chris Bassitt for the Blue Jays. You can catch this one on SNET.
Check out BetCoco for Toronto Blue Jays – Kansas City Royals odds
Toronto Blue Jays Trends and Key Stats
- The Royals are 2-3 across their last five road games. They have gone 3-2 vs. the runline.
- On the other side, the Blue Jays have gone 1-4 (SU) and 1-4 in their previous five home contests.
- As the favorite, the Blue Jays are 5-5 over their last ten games, including going 4-6 vs. the runline.
- Looking back at their last ten games as the underdog, the Royals have a 5-5 straight-up record and a 6-4 record vs. the runline.
Thanks to a two-home run performance from Cole Ragans and a good outing from him on the mound, the Royals picked up a 4-1 win over the Blue Jays in the most recent game of this series. Heading into the game, the Royals were at +110 on the money line.
Ragans went just 6 2/3 innings but gave up just one run and struck out nine. He picked up a win in the game, while James McArthur got the save. Jose Berrios had a decent outing for the Blue Jays, going seven innings and giving up two earned runs.
Kansas City’s other two runs came on a two-run single from Bobby Witt Jr. in the second inning. Witt finished the game with two hits and two RBIs.
Toronto Blue Jays vs Kansas City Royals Prediction
Kansas City is 18-13 overall and trails the Guardians by two games in the AL Central. The Royals lost the final game of their series vs. the Tigers and then dropped the first game of this series vs. the Blue Jays. However, they took the most recent game of the series. So far, they have an 8-5 record in AL Central play.
At home, the Royals have been good this year, going 12-5. On the road, they are just under .500 at 6-8. As the underdog, the Royals are 12-10 this year compared to 6-3 as the favorite. Kansas City’s overall series record is 4-5 this year.
When the Royals are on the road, they have a run line record of 20-11, with an average run margin of 1.5 runs per game. They are 9-5 against the run line on the road, and have covered in their last two games. They are 15-7 against the run line as the underdog this season.
When the Kansas City Royals play, the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs. So far this season, the over/under record for Royals games is 10-19, and the average combined run total in their games is 7.7. In their last 10 games, the over/under line has been set at 8.5 runs three times, and the record in those games is 3-9. Overall, the over/under line has been set at 8.5 runs in 25.8% of their games this season.
Seth Lugo gets the start for the Royals today as he faces the Blue Jays on the road. So far, he has made six starts and has a record of 4-1. Lugo’s ERA is an impressive 1.66, and he has a WHIP of 1.10. The right-hander has been especially tough on the road, coming in with a record of 2-0 and an ERA of 0.0. In his last outing, Lugo pitched seven scoreless innings, picking up the win and recording nine strikeouts. He has made five straight quality starts.
Salvador Perez has been the Royals’ top power threat this season, as his seven homers are 4th in the league and the top mark on the team. Perez is also hitting .355 for the season and went 12/31 in his last 10 games. Bobby Witt Jr. has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 13/38 in his last 10 games, and is batting .315 for the season.
As a team, the Royals are averaging 4.6 runs per game and are one of the league’s top home run hitting teams. However, they have been striking out at the 2nd highest rate in the league and have a collective batting average of just .237. Heading into today’s game, Bobby Witt Jr., Michael Massey, and Maikel Garcia are all on hitting streaks.
Toronto is 15-16 overall and 5th in the AL East, five games behind the Orioles for the division lead. The Blue Jays are 5-5 against other AL East teams this year. Toronto dropped the first game of this series vs. the Royals after taking the series finale vs. the Dodgers.
As the favorite, the Blue Jays have gone 12-7 this year and 3-9 as the underdog. They are 8-6 at home compared to 7-10 on the road. Toronto’s overall series record is 4-4-1, and they had lost two straight series before taking the series from the Dodgers.
The Blue Jays have been a tough team to figure out when it comes to the run line this season. They are 14-17 overall, but just 6-8 at home. They have a negative run differential both at home and on the road, but they have been a better bet to cover the run line as the underdog (4-8) than as the favorite (10-9).
The Blue Jays have had an over/under record of 12-18 this season, and their games have averaged 7.9 runs per game. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, their record is 3-8 in those games. For the season, the average over/under line in their games is set at 8 runs per game. In games with over/under lines set at 8.5 runs, the over has hit in 5 of those games.
Right-hander Chris Bassitt gets the start for the Blue Jays today and comes into the game with a record of 2-4 and an ERA of 5.64. Looking at his overall numbers, Bassitt has made six starts, and opponents are batting .305 this season. Bassitt has turned in two quality starts this year, and his ERA at home is 8.8 compared to 6.29 on the road. In his last outing, he was tagged for seven earned runs in 2 2/3 innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts.
Justin Turner has been the Blue Jays’ most consistent hitter so far this season, as he is batting .298, which is the best mark on the team. He also has the 2nd best OBP on the team and is 2nd on the club with 15 RBIs. Turner has two homers in his last seven games. Daulton Varsho has gone deep a team-high six times this season but is batting just .233.
Over his last four games, Danny Jansen has gone 4/12 with two homers and three runs scored. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has also swung the bat well of late, going 7/26 in his last seven games. Guerrero Jr. is also on a four-game hitting streak.
Our prediction for today’s Royals vs. Blue Jays matchup is to take the Blue Jays on the money line at -132. We have the Blue Jays winning this one by a score of 6-5. With the over/under sitting at 8.5 runs, there is not a lot of wiggle room, and we recommend sticking with a Blue Jays win.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Chris Bassitt is projected to go for the Blue Jays. We have him finishing with five strikeouts, and his chances of picking up a win are the second best among today’s starters.
Toronto Blue Jays vs Kansas City Royals Betting Tips
- Take the Blue Jays on the moneyline
- On the run line we like the Royals (+1.5)
- Projecting a combined 11 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 |
| Yariel Rodríguez | Out | Back |
Kansas City Royals Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Jordan Lyles | Out | Personal |
| Carlos Hernández | Out | Shoulder |
| Cole Ragans | Questionable | Calf |
| Josh Taylor | Out | Biceps |
| Kyle Wright | Out | Shoulder |
| Kris Bubic | Out | Elbow |
| Jake Brentz | Out | Hamstring |
| Alec Marsh | Out | Forearm |
