The Chicago Cubs (49-56) travel to face off against the Kansas City Royals (57-47) on Saturday, July 27th. This game will be played at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City and televised on BSKC. The Royals are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Cubs are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Royals. First pitch is set for 6:10 CT.
Cubs vs. Royals Betting Prediction
- Money Line Prediction: Royals (-120)
- Over/Under Prediction: Over 8 Runs
- The Royals have won 6 of their last 10 games, indicating strong recent form.
- In their last 5 home games, the Royals have scored an average of 6.6 runs per game.
- The Royals have won 5 out of their last 6 home games.
- The Cubs have lost 7 of their last 10 games, showing a recent struggle.
- The Cubs have a losing record on the road with 22 wins and 31 losses.
Cubs vs Royals
Thanks to a six-run 5th inning for the Royals’ offense, they cruised to an easy 6-0 win over the Cubs in the most recent game of this series. Heading into the game, the Royals were favored at -156 on the money line.
The starting pitching matchup for this game featured Kyle Hendricks for the Cubs, and he went just five innings while giving up six runs and took the loss. Brady Singer put together a good outing for the Royals, getting the win after going seven innings and not giving up a run.
Kansas City got a huge performance from Salvador Perez, as he went 1/4 with a home run and three RBIs. Both Vinnie Pasquantino and Nick Loftin each had two hits and an RBI for the Royals’ offense.
Chicago has struggled recently, entering today’s game on a three-game losing streak and a 3-7 record in their last 10 games. They are 11 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central, holding a 49-56 overall record and sitting in 5th place in the division.
Against the run line, the Cubs have a 50-55 record, including a 31-22 mark on the road and 37-20 as underdogs. Their games have gone under in seven straight and in 14 of their last 18 when the O/U line is set at 8 runs. On the season, Cubs games have averaged 8.2 runs per game, with the over hitting in 43 of 101 games.
Shota Imanaga Gets The Start For The Cubs
Through 18 starts, Shota Imanaga has a record of 8-2 and an ERA of 2.86. He has made 12 quality starts this year and is coming off an outing in which he gave up just one earned run in seven innings of work. In that start vs. the Diamondbacks, Imanaga finished with a no-decision. Looking back over his last four outings, Imanaga has finished with a no-decision in three of them. The left-hander has been solid on the road, going 5-1 with a 2.89 ERA compared to 3-1 with a 4.47 ERA at home.
Cubs Offense Breakdown
As a team, the Cubs are averaging just 4 runs per game, which is 25th in the league. This is a result of their team batting average of .232 (19th) and on-base percentage of .310 (15th). So far, they are 19th in home runs and 21st in slugging percentage. Chicago does come into the game with the 6th fewest strikeouts in the league.
Christopher Morel and Ian Happ are the Cubs’ top home run hitters this season, but both are batting under .200. Happ has gone just 3/24 in his last seven games and has just one home run during that stretch. Seiya Suzuki has gone 6/24 in his last seven games and is on a three-game hitting streak.
When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, the Royals have a 10-10-2 record this season. Overall, their O/U record is 42-59, with their games averaging 8.5 runs per game. Kansas City is 57-47 and 6-4 in their last 10 games, coming off a win in the first game of this series vs. the Cubs.
At home, the Royals are 36-20 straight up and 34-22 against the run line, with an average scoring margin of 1.3 runs per game. As underdogs, they have a 26-30 run line record and are 14-11 straight up. On the season, Kansas City’s run line record is 60-44, with an average winning margin of 3.9 runs per game.
Seth Lugo Gets The Start For The Royals
Seth Lugo gets the start for the Royals today and comes in with a record of 12-4 and an ERA of 2.38. Looking at his overall numbers, Lugo has made 21 starts, and opponents are batting .219 this season. Lugo has turned in 16 quality starts and is coming off a complete game in his last outing. Against the White Sox, he gave up just one earned run, six hits, and three walks. Before that outing, he had given up at least two earned runs in three straight starts. Lugo has been much better at home, coming in with a record of 5-2 and an ERA of 2.31.
Royals Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Royals have been one of the best hitting teams in the league, as they are 6th in batting average and are averaging 4.6 runs per game. At home, they are averaging 5.2 runs per contest, which is the 2nd best mark in the league. Overall, they are 17th in home runs and have the league’s best strikeout rate.
Both Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez have been swinging the bat well of late. Witt Jr. is hitting .514 over his last nine games, while Perez has gone deep three times during this stretch. Perez is also on a four-game hitting streak. For the season, Witt Jr. is batting .343 with 18 homers, and Perez is hitting .278 with 19 homers.
Cubs vs Royals Prediction
We see the best value in this game being on the money line, with the Royals sitting at -120 to pick up the win. Our predicted final score is 5-4 in favor of the Royals. Offensively, we have the Royals finishing with nine hits, compared to the Cubs with eight.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Seth Lugo is projected to finish with five strikeouts, and we have him finishing with the ninth best ERA among starters today. As for Shota Imanaga, he is projected to finish with six strikeouts, and his ERA is fifth best among starters.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:July 27, 2024 Cubs, Royals