In this article we will formulate a Kansas City Royals vs Chicago White Sox prediction for this MLB game on Friday, July 19th at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. Let’s take a look at the prediction for game one in the series.
Royals Hanging Around in the AL Central
The Kansas City Royals are 52-45 this year and they have won four of their last six games. Kansas City is coming off of a series loss against Boston, where they lost two out of three games. Prior to that series, the Royals won both games against the Cardinals, lost two out of three against the Rockies, and lost two out of three against the Rays. Kansas City is 4-5 in their last nine games and they are third in the AL Central, seven games behind Cleveland and 2.5 games behind Minnesota.
The Kansas City pitching staff has a 3.80 ERA, a 1.27 WHIP, and a .244 opponent batting average. The Royals offense has scored 442 runs with a .247 batting average and a .306 on base percentage. Bobby Witt is batting .323 with 16 home runs and 63 RBI’s for the Royals this season. Kansas City has scored at least six runs in four of their last six games.
White Sox Trying to Avoid Fifth Straight Loss
The Chicago White Sox are 27-71 this season and they have lost four games in a row. Chicago is coming off of a series loss against Pittsburgh, where they lost all three games by scores of 4-1, 6-2, and 9-4. Prior to that series, the White Sox lost two out of three against the Twins, lost two out of three against the Marlins, and lost two out of three against the Guardians. Chicago is 3-10 in their last 13 games and they are last in the AL Central.
The Chicago pitching staff has a 4.57 ERA, a 1.37 WHIP, and a .245 opponent batting average. The White Sox offense has scored 313 runs with a .220 batting average and a .282 on base percentage. Paul DeJong is batting .226 with 16 home runs and 37 RBI’s for the White Sox this season. Chicago has scored three runs or fewer in six of their last nine games.
Starting Pitchers
The projected starting pitcher for Kansas City is Michael Wacha, who is 6-6 with a 3.83 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP over 89.1 innings pitched this year. Wacha has allowed one earned run in three of his last four starts. The projected starting pitcher for Chicago is Chris Flexen, who is 2-8 with a 4.82 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP over 97.0 innings pitched this season. Flexen has allowed two earned runs or fewer in three of his last five outings.
Why the Royals will beat the White Sox
- The Royals have won each of their last 15 home games against American League opponents that held a losing record.
- The White Sox have lost eight of their last nine games at Kauffman Stadium.
- The Royals have covered the run line each of their last 10 home games against American League opponents that held a losing record.
- The White Sox have failed to cover the run line in each of their last three games.
- The Royals have led after 3 innings in each of their last three games against AL Central opponents.
- The Royals have led after 5 innings in each of their last seven home games against American League opponents that held a losing record.
Total Runs Facts
- Each of the Royals’ last six games as favorites against the White Sox have gone UNDER the total runs line.
- Seven of the White Sox’s last eight games as underdogs against the Royals have gone UNDER the total runs line.
- The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the last five games between the White Sox and Royals.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the White Sox’s last four games as road underdogs against AL Central opponents.
Kansas City Royals Player Prop Facts
- Garrett Hampson has recorded a Double in each of his last four appearances after not playing the previous day.
- Vinnie Pasquantino has recorded at least one RBI in 11 of the Royals’ last 12 home games.
- Michael Wacha has recorded a win in each of his last nine appearances with his team as a home favorite.
- Michael Wacha has recorded five or more strikeouts in nine of his last 10 appearances with his team as a home favorite.
- Bobby Witt Jr. has scored at least one run in each of the Royals’ last eight home games against AL opponents that held a losing record.
- Bobby Witt Jr. has recorded two or more total bases in each of the Royals’ last six home games against opponents that held a losing record.
- Bobby Witt Jr. has recorded at least one Single in each of the Royals’ last six night games.
- Vinnie Pasquantino has recorded at least one hit in each of the Royals’ last 10 night games against opponents that held a losing record.
- MJ Melendez has hit a home run in three of the Royals’ last four home games against the White Sox.
- Bobby Witt Jr. ranks 3rd amongst qualified players for Batting Average (.323) this season.
Chicago White Sox Player Prop Facts
- Nicky Lopez has recorded at least one Double in each of his last three appearances in night games.
- Chris Flexen has recorded four or more strikeouts in three of his four previous road appearances against opponents that held a winning record.
- Luis Robert has scored at least one run in seven of the White Sox’s last eight night games against AL opponents that held a winning record.
- Nicky Lopez has recorded at least one Single in 11 of his last 12 road appearances after not playing the previous day.
- Yoan Moncada has recorded at least one total base in each of his last 10 appearances against opponents that held a winning record.
- Yoan Moncada has recorded at least one hit in each of his last 10 appearances against opponents that held a winning record.
- Martin Maldonado has recorded at least one RBI in four of his last five appearances against AL opponents that held a winning record.
- Martin Maldonado has hit a home run in each of his last three appearances against AL opponents that held a winning record.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Kansas City Royals rank T2nd in the league for triples this season (24).
- The Kansas City Royals rank 2nd in the league for strikeouts against this season (664).
- The Chicago White Sox rank 30th in the league for runs scored this season (313).
- The Chicago White Sox rank 30th in the league for triples this season (5).
Kansas City Royals vs Chicago White Sox Prediction
Kansas City started the season playing very well and they were right in the AL Central race with Cleveland, but they faded down the stretch in the first half and are now sitting in third. The Royals are 31-18 at home this season, while the White Sox are 10-37 on the road. Chicago has been one of the worst teams in the MLB to start the season and they are even worse on the road. Flexen has been a bright spot for the White Sox at times, but their bullpen is a mess and the offense is the lowest scoring in baseball. Wacha wasn’t great last time out for the Royals in Boston, but he should bounce back here. My Kansas City Royals vs Chicago White Sox prediction is for the Royals to win by at least two runs.