Royals vs. Athletics Pick
Who will take the rubber match when the Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics close out their midweek series today at 3:35PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Kansas City is favored on the road as the Royals are getting odds of -125 to win, while the Athletics are getting odds of +105 to win. The over/under total for the game has been set at 9.5 runs.
MLB Quick Links: Scores & Matchups | Injuries | Odds Comparison | Betting Trends | ATS Stats
The pitching matchup today has Danny Duffy (7-8, 3.67 ERA) on the mound for the Royals to face Paul Blackburn (3-1, 3.02) of the Athletics. Duffy has struggled in recent starts, allowing 12 runs over his last two starts. He has 101 strikeouts with 31 walks and a 1.27 WHIP this season. Blackburn has alternated good starts with bad over his last four outings. He is coming off a 4-run performance in 5.2 innings against the Orioles. He has 20 strikeouts with 13 walks and a 1.18 WHIP this year.
These two have split the first two games in this series, as the Royals had a 6-2 win on Monday and the Athletics picked up a 10-8 victory on Tuesday. Oakland is 53-67 overall and 34-30 at home. Kansas City is 60-59 overall and 28-32 on the road.
Tuesday’s game saw plenty of emotion. The Royals took an 8-4 lead in the eighth inning by scoring five runs. The Athletics then answered with six runs in the bottom of the eighth. Joakim Soria gave up four runs in the eighth to allow Oakland back into the game. Khris Davis hit his 33rd home run of the year and drove in two for Oakland while Matt Joyce had a pair of hits and drove in four runs. Mike Moustakas connected on his 35th home run of the year for Kansas City while Eric Hosmer had a pair of hits and four RBI.
Both pitchers have been somewhat unpredictable in recent starts. Duffy had been one of the best in the AL this year, but seems to have lost a step. Blackburn has been flipping between good and bad. The positive for Oakland is he is coming off a bad start. Kansas City had to use some of its best arms last night and still ended up blowing the game. I think that plays a factor today. I give the edge to Oakland at home as I expect Blackburn to continue his rotating trend against an average KC lineup.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: OAKLAND ATHLETICS +105