The Chicago Cubs (50-56) travel to face off against the Kansas City Royals (57-48) on Sunday, July 28th. This game will be played at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City and televised on BSKC. The Cubs are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Royals are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Cubs. First pitch is set for 1:10 CT.
Cubs vs. Royals Betting Prediction
- Money Line Prediction: Royals (-171)
- Over/Under Prediction: Over 8.5 Runs
- The Royals have won 7 out of their last 10 home games.
- The Royals have scored an average of 6.1 runs per game in their last 10 home games.
- The Royals have a 3-1 record against the Cubs in their last 4 head-to-head matchups.
- The Royals have outscored their opponents by 20 runs in their last 10 home games.
- The Cubs have a 4-6 record in their last 10 games.
Cubs vs Royals
Chicago cruised to a 9-4 win over the Royals in the most recent game of this series. The Cubs had a huge 1st inning, scoring two of their nine runs. As for the Royals, they scored their first run in the 2nd and added their final three runs in the 6th.
Shota Imanaga only went 5 2/3 innings for the Cubs but gave up just three hits and three earned runs. He finished the game with three strikeouts and didn’t issue a walk. Julian Merryweather got the win out of the bullpen. As for the Royals, Seth Lugo had a rough outing, giving up six runs in 6 1/3 innings of work.
At the plate, the Cubs were led by Seiya Suzuki and Patrick Wisdom, who each homered and drove in two runs. Suzuki, Mike Tauchman, and Hunter Renfroe each had two hits and two RBIs for the Royals’ offense.
Chicago’s struggles on the road have been a major factor in their 50-56 record, as they are 23-31 away from home. They are currently in 5th place in the NL Central, 10 games behind the Brewers. The Cubs have gone 13-23 in divisional matchups this season.
When the Cubs win, they tend to win big, with an average run margin of 3.3 runs per game. However, their overall record against the run line is 51-55. The over/under line of 8.5 runs for today’s game is slightly below their season average of 8.3 runs per game. Their over/under record for games with an 8.5 run line is 12-13 this season.
Javier Assad Gets The Start For The Cubs
Right-hander Javier Assad gets the start for the Cubs today as he faces off against the Royals on the road. He has made 18 starts this season and has a record of 4-3 with a 3.15 ERA. So far, Assad has turned in three quality starts and is averaging 8.22 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, he finished with a no-decision, going 3 1/3 innings and not giving up a run. Before that, he had given up at least one homer in three straight outings. Assad has been much better at home, coming in with an ERA of 2.32 compared to 4.58 on the road.
Cubs Offense Breakdown
Chicago’s offense has been a bit of a disappointment this season, as they are just 24th in runs per game at 4.1. This has been the case both at home and on the road, as they are 21st and 25th, respectively. The Cubs are also near the bottom of the league in terms of slugging percentage and OPS. However, they do have the 6th most walks in the league and are 13th in on-base percentage.
Over his last six games, Seiya Suzuki has gone 8/23 with two homers and four RBIs. This has helped him move his batting average up to .251 for the season. Suzuki is also on a four-game hitting streak. The Cubs’ top power hitter is Christopher Morel, who has 18 homers but is batting just .199. Ian Happ leads the team with 60 RBIs and is 2nd on the team with 16 homers.
At home this season, the Royals have been solid, going 36-21 overall. As the favorite, they have a 31-18 record, but as the underdog, they are 26-30. Kansas City’s overall series record is 15-17-1, and they are currently 1-1-0 in their series against the Cubs.
For the season, the Royals have a 60-45 run line record, with an average run margin of +0.7 runs per game. The O/U record for Kansas City this season is 43-59, and the average total line for their games is 8 runs. When the O/U line is set at 8.5 runs, the record is 10-19.
Cole Ragans Gets The Start For The Royals
Kansas City is starting left-hander Cole Ragans today vs. the Cubs. He has made 21 starts this season and has a record of 7-6 with a 3.23 ERA. Ragans’ WHIP for the season is 1.15, and opponents are batting .214 off him this year. In his 21 appearances, Ragans has turned in 15 quality starts and is averaging 10.71 strikeouts per nine innings. Ragans most recently pitched on July 22nd, where he gave up three earned runs in six innings of work. He got the win in that outing. Before that, he had won two straight starts.
Royals Offense Breakdown
Heading into today’s game, the Royals are averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 11th in the league. They have been even better at home, putting up 5.2 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .251, which is 6th in the league, and have the fewest strikeouts in the league. Kansas City’s home run numbers are a little below average, but they have two of the league’s top home run hitters in Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez.
Over his last seven games, Bobby Witt Jr. has gone 15/28 with a home run and six RBIs. This has helped him take over the team lead in RBIs (71) and put him 2nd on the team in home runs. Perez has also been hot of late, with two homers and eight RBIs in his last seven games. Witt Jr. is also on a nine-game hitting streak.
Cubs vs Royals Prediction
Our recommendation for today’s Cubs vs. Royals matchup is to take the over, with the line sitting at 8.5 runs. We see this one finishing with a 5-4 win for the Royals. However, with the Royals being the money line favorite, we see there being better value on the over.
Looking at today’s starters, we have Cole Ragans finishing with five strikeouts compared to Javier Assad with just four. However, our projections have Assad going seven innings compared to Ragans, who we have going just five.
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 28, 2024 Cubs, Royals