Kansas City Royals vs Oakland Athletics Prediction 5-17-24 Picks

The Oakland A’s and the Kansas City Royals meet Friday in MLB action from Kauffman Stadium. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s an Kansas City Royals vs Oakland Athletics Prediction.

Starting Pitching Matchup

The Oakland A’s did not have a starting pitcher announced at the time that this article was posted. The Kansas City Royals will send Cole Ragans to the mound here and Ragans is 2-3 with a 4.22 ERA and 57 strikeouts this season. In his career, Ragans is 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA and 19 strikeouts against Oakland.

Oakland A’s Recap

The Oakland A’s come into this one looking to bounce back from a rough showing in their last series against the Houston Astros, getting swept in their four-game set thanks to an 8-1 loss in Thursday’s series finale, with the A’s totalling just four runs as a team in the four-game set. The series loss followed series losses to other division rivals like the Mariners and Rangers in the last week and a half as well.

A’s Back To Sliding At The Dish

Brent Rooker leads the A’s with 10 home runs and 28 RBIs this season while Abraham Toro has a team-high 44 hits and 17 RBIs. JJ Bleday has a team-high 11 doubles, 37 hits and 18 RBIs and Toro has a .288 batting average. Rooker also has the unfortunate title of leading strikeout bat with 43 K’s at the dish this season. Shea Langeliers has also chipped in 9 home runs and 24 RBIs.

Why the Oakland Athletics will win

• The Athletics have won each of their last seven games against the Royals following a road loss.
• The Royals have lost each of their last four night games against the Athletics following a loss.
• The Athletics have covered the run line each of their last four games at Kauffman Stadium against teams that held a winning record.
• The Royals have failed to cover the run line each of their last six Friday games against American League opponents that held a losing record.
• The Athletics have led after 5 innings in each of their last four night games against the Royals.
• The Athletics have led after 3 innings in each of their last four night games against the Royals.

Kansas City Royals Recap

The Kansas City Royals come into this one looking to rebound from a series loss to Seattle after ending up with a 4-2 loss to the Mariners in Wednesday’s series finale. The series loss was the first in a little while for the Royals after series wins over the Angels and Brewers in the last week and a half.

Royals Still Solid At The Plate

Bobby Witt Jr. leads the Royals with 51 hits including 5 home runs, 23 RBIs, 5 triples and 11 doubles while Salvador Perez has a team-high 8 home runs and 33 RBIs with 50 hits of his own. Nelson Velazquez also has a team-high 43 strikeouts while Witt Jr. has a team-high 15 stolen bases and Maikel Garcia has 4 home runs, 25 RBIs and 10 stolen bases this season.

Why the Kansas City Royals will win

• The Royals have won each of their last 10 home games against teams that held a losing record.
• The Athletics have lost each of their last seven night games against AL Central opponents following a road loss.
• The Royals have covered the run line in each of their last nine night games following a road loss.
• The Athletics have failed to cover the run line in each of their last six night games against AL Central opponents.
• The Athletics have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last five night games against AL Central opponents that held a winning record.
• The Athletics have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last five games.

Kansas City Royals vs Oakland Athletics Prediction

I’m on the over here. I know Cole Ragans was viewed by many coming into this season as one of the Royals’ top options in that rotation this season. However, the problem I have is that the A’s, despite some recent struggles have been one of the better teams in baseball in the month of May in terms of hitting against left-handed pitching. The Royals I think will get whatever they want offensively against whoever starts for Oakland here, but I think the over is the best bet here just with the uncertainty at the moment in Ragans’ game. Give me the over.