The Kansas City Royals are visiting the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday, July 23rd at the Wrigley Field in the third game of this series, with both teams being tied 1-1. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Royals vs Cubs Prediction. We will examine:
The Chicago Cubs’ recent form and player performance
The Kansas City Royals’ recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Chicago Cubs
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Kansas City Royals
Recent betting trends in games played between the Kansas City Royals vs Chicago Cubs
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Kansas City Royals vs Chicago Cubs game
Chicago Cubs Preview
The Chicago Cubs have a 60-41 record this season and are sitting in second place in the NL Central. The Cubs have a 33-18 home record and are 49-43 in over/under. They are coming off a 6-0 home victory over the Royals, which snapped their previous two-game losing streak. Under is 5-2 in their last 7 games, and they are playing the White Sox and the Brewers next.
The Cubs have a .256 batting average this season, .324 OBP, and .446 Slugging percentage. Chicago’s pitching staff has a 3.83 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. Nico Hoerner leads the Cubs with 106 hits, and he is the team’s best hitter with a .286 batting average. Seiya Suzuki leads the team in RBI, with 81, adding a team-high 26 home runs.
Colin Rea (R) is the projected starting pitcher for the Cubs, and he has an 8-3 record, 3.80 ERA, and 1.28 WHIP.
Kansas City Royals Preview
The Kansas City Royals have a 49-53 record this season and are sitting in third place in the AL Central. The Royals have a 25-27 road record and are 40-61 in over/under. They are coming off a 0-6 road defeat over the Cubs, which ended their previous two-game winning streak. They are playing the Guardians and the Braves next.
The Royals have a .245 batting average this season, .299 OBP, and .378 Slugging percentage. Kansas’ pitching staff has a 3.50 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. Bobby Witt Jr. leads the Royals with 116 hits, while Maikel Garcia is the team’s best hitter with a .291 batting average. Salvador Perez leads the team in RBI, with 60, adding a team-high 17 home runs.
Seth Lugo (R) is the projected starter for the Royals, and he has a 6-5 record, 2.94 ERA, and 1.09 WHIP.
Why the Chicago Cubs will win
- The Cubs have won each of their last eight day games against AL Central opponents that held a losing record.
- The Royals have lost each of their last four games against the Cubs following a road loss.
- The Cubs have covered the run line each of their last six day games against AL Central opponents that held a losing record.
- The Royals have failed to cover the run line in five of their last six games against National League opponents that held a winning record.
- The Cubs have won the first inning in three of their last four day games against American League opponents.
- The Cubs have led after 3 innings in each of their last eight day games against AL Central opponents that held a losing record.
- The Cubs have led after 5 innings in nine of their last 10 day games against AL Central opponents that held a losing record.
Why the Kansas City Royals will win
- The Royals have won five of their last six games as underdogs against NL Central opponents following a loss.
- The Cubs have lost four of their last five day games following a home win.
- The Royals have covered the run line in each of their last 13 games as road underdogs against National League opponents following a loss.
- The Cubs have failed to cover the run line in each of their last five games against AL Central opponents following a win.
- The Royals have led after 3 innings in each of their last five Wednesday road games.
- The Royals have led after 5 innings in five of their last six road games against NL Central opponents that held a winning record.
Total Runs Facts
- Twelve of the Royals’ last 14 day games after playing the previous day have gone UNDER the total runs line.
- Six of the Cubs’ last seven games as favorites against American League opponents have gone UNDER the total runs line.
- The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Royals’ last six games as underdogs.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in nine of the Cubs’ last 10 day games at Wrigley Field.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Cubs rank 2nd in the league for runs scored this season (533).
- The Cubs rank 2nd in the league for hits this season (892).
- The Royals rank 30th in the league for walks this season (238).
- The Royals rank 29th in the league for runs scored this season (355).
Royals vs Cubs Prediction
The Cubs are 5-2 in their last 7 meetings against the Royals, but the Royals are 5-3 in their last 8 visits to Chicago. Over is 3-1 in their last 4 meetings.
In this Royals vs Cubs Prediction, the Cubs are coming as -150 home favorites. The Cubs are rightfully favored, as they have a better overall record and have been extremely strong at home. Both pitchers have been good this season with a combined 6.74 ERA. Both teams have top-10 bullpens, and the Royals have one of the weakest offenses in the league, so the total set at 10.5 is too high. The Cubs have one of the best offenses in the majors, but they are 7-3 to the under in their last 10 games, and the average is just 3.7 runs in their last 8 games. Total is too high, so go with the under 10.5 runs in this one.