The Kansas City Royals and the Cincinnati Reds meet Saturday in MLB action from Great American Ballpark. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Cincinnati Reds vs Kansas City Royals Prediction.
Starting Pitching Matchup
The Kansas City Royals will send out Michael Wacha for the start here and Wacha is 9-6 with a 3.50 ERA and 99 strikeouts this season. In his last five starts against Cincinnati, Wacha is 1-2 with a 1.57 ERA and 20 strikeouts. Nick Lodolo will get the start for Cincinnati here and is 9-4 with a 3.99 ERA and 111 strikeouts this season. This will be Lodolo’s first career start against Kansas City.
Kansas City Royals Recap
The Kansas City Royals come into this one looking to build on their series-opening win over the Reds by a final count of 7-1. The win put the Royals in a good spot to bounce back from their series loss at the hands of the Minnesota Twins to start the week.
Royals Trying To Sneak Up In AL Central Race
Going into Friday’s opener, Bobby Witt Jr. leads the Royals with 168 hits including 24 home runs, 89 RBIs and team-highs of 11 triples and 33 doubles with 25 stolen bases and a .349 batting average. Salvador Perez also has 22 home runs with 79 RBIs and 20 doubles. Maikel Garcia has 6 home runs, 48 RBIs and 30 stolen bases along with 5 triples and 21 doubles this season. Vinnie Pasquantino has 26 doubles with 17 homers and 85 RBIs of his own on the year.
Why the Kansas City Royals will win
- The Reds have lost nine of their last 10 games as favorites against American League opponents.
- The Royals have won five of their last six games as road underdogs against the Reds.
- The underdogs have covered the run line in each of the Royals’ last seven games at Great American Ball Park.
- The Reds have failed to cover the run line in nine of their last 10 games as favorites against American League opponents.
Cincinnati Reds Recap
The Cincinnati Reds will try to rebound after falling flat in Friday’s opening matchup. The loss was not what the Reds had in mind to try to build on their series sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals from earlier in the week.
Reds Fighting To Stay In Playoff Race
Entering Friday’s action, Elly De La Cruz leads the Reds with 120 hits, 21 home runs and 52 RBIs with 59 stolen bases along with a .263 batting average as well. Spencer Steer has a team-high 75 RBIs with 26 doubles, 18 home runs and 20 stolen bases while Will Benson also has 17 doubles with 14 stolen bases but also has 131 strikeouts. De La Cruz also has a team-high 162 strikeouts so far this season. Jeimer Candelario also has 23 doubles as well as 19 home runs, 55 RBIs and 93 hits this season for Cincinnati.
Why the Cincinnati Reds will win
- The Reds have won each of their last four games after playing the previous day.
- The Royals have lost four of their last five night games following a win.
- The Reds have covered the run line in each of their last five games following a loss.
- The Royals have failed to cover the run line in four of their last five games following a win.
Cincinnati Reds vs Kansas City Royals Prediction
I’m on the Royals here. Cincinnati’s been a very streaky team this season, and it’s all about finding the right time to jump on and jump off of this team. Friday was a good spot to start as the Royals are a better team than what we saw against the Twins, and I think they show it again here. Lodolo’s had issues pitching at hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark, as a lot of Reds starters have, while Wacha has plenty of experience in Cincinnati in his career, mostly when he was a member of the St. Louis Cardinals. All in all, I’m rolling with the Royals at the solid price for the win here.