Royals vs. Orioles Pick
After grinding out a win on Monday, will the Baltimore Orioles be able to hold off the Kansas City Royals once again tonight at 7:05PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Baltimore is the favorite today, as the Orioles are getting odds of -130 to win, while the Royals are listed with a money line of +120 to prevail. The over/under total for the game has been set at 10 runs.
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The pitching matchup tonight has Dylan Bundy (9-8, 4.53 ERA) on the mound for the Orioles to face Ian Kennedy (4-6, 4.43) of the Royals. Kennedy has been improving most of the last month, allowing two earned runs or less in six of his last eight starts. On the season, he has 90 strikeouts with 41 walks and 1.17 WHIP. Bundy has struggled as of late, allowing at least five runs in five of his last seven starts. Bundy has 92 strikeouts this season with 39 walks and a 1.27 WHIP.
The Orioles grinded out a 2-1 win on Monday to open this series. The home team has now won all four games in this series and all four have been decided by one run. Baltimore is now 51-54 on the season and 31-21 at home while Kansas City is 55-49 overall and 25-26 on the road.
Monday’s game was a pitching duel, but the Orioles finally brought in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning on a Craig Gentry single. Both starters went seven innings and gave up just one run. Ubaldo Jimenez had a rare good start, allowing just one run on five hits with six strikeouts. Duffy had similar stats, allowing one run on seven hits with six strikeouts. Jonathan Schoop singled in the other Baltimore run while Eric Hosmer had the lone KC RBI on his 21st double of the season.
The Orioles got a surprising outing from Jimenez on Monday. I am not sure they can count on the same from Bundy today. KC’s lineup can go cold, but so can Baltimore’s. KC still has the better bullpen of the two and I see this came coming down to the relievers. I don’t believe both starters will manage to go seven innings tonight, so I give the edge to the Royals with their superior arms.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: KANSAS CITY ROYALS +120