The Kansas City Royals (66-55) travel to face off against the Cincinnati Reds (60-61) on Friday, August 16th. This game will be played at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati and televised on BSKC. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. First pitch is set for 5:40 CT.

Royals vs. Reds Betting Prediction

• Money Line Prediction: Reds (-141)
• Over/Under Prediction: Over 9.5 Runs

• The Reds have won 4 of their last 5 home games, showcasing strong recent performance at home.
• In their last 15 games, the Reds have scored 6 or more runs in 9 games, indicating a potent offense.
• The Reds have a 7-3 record in their last 10 games, demonstrating a positive recent trend.
• The Reds have outscored their opponents by a total of 30 runs in their last 15 games, highlighting their offensive dominance.
• The Reds have a 31-31 home record compared to the Royals’ 28-30 away record, suggesting a home-field advantage.

Royals vs Reds

The Royals Are Coming Off A Win

To close out their series vs. the Twins, the Royals picked up a 4-1 win. Leading up to the game, they were the slight favorite at -113 on the money line. It was a big 2nd inning that really turned things in their favor, and the Twins could only score one run, which came in the 4th.

Cole Ragans put together a good start for the Royals, going seven innings and giving up just one earned run, and picking up the win. He also issued only one walk and struck out eight Twins batters. Offensively, the Royals scored their four runs on json DeJong’s three hits and Bobby Witt Jr.’s homer.

As underdogs, the Royals have a 27-32 record and are 13-21 on the road. Their overall series record this season is 17-20-2. Kansas City is 6 games behind the Guardians in the AL Central and has a 66-55 record. The Royals went 26-13 in divisional games and lost two of three in their most recent series against the Twins.

On the run line, Kansas City has a 35-24 record as underdogs and 31-27 on the road. The Royals’ average run margin in winning games is +3.9, while in losing games, it’s -3.2. The over/under record for the Royals this season is 55-63, and their games have averaged 8.8 runs. The over/under line for today’s game is 9.5 runs, which is higher than usual, as only 5% of their games have had total lines of 9.5 or higher.

Michael Lorenzen Gets The Start For The Royals

Right-hander Michael Lorenzen gets the start for the Royals today as he faces the Reds on the road. He has made 20 starts this season and has a record of 5-6 with a 3.79 ERA. Lorenzen’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.30. In his last outing, he finished with a no-decision, giving up three earned runs in 4 1/3 innings of work. Before that, he had gone 5 2/3 innings in three straight outings. Lorenzen has made eight quality starts this season and is averaging 6.69 strikeouts per nine innings. For the year, he has allowed 17 homers and is averaging 4.19 walks per nine innings.

Royals Offense Breakdown

So far this season, the Royals are averaging 4.8 runs per game, which is 11th in the league. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.3 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .254, which is 7th in the league, and are one of the league’s best at avoiding strikeouts. Kansas City’s team on-base percentage is just 26th in the league, and they are also just 15th in the league in terms of their batting average on balls in play.

Bobby Witt Jr. has been one of the league’s top hitters this season, coming in with a batting average of .349 to go along with a team-high 24 home runs. Witt Jr. has been even better of late, going 14/36 in his last nine games with four homers and 10 RBIs. He also comes into the game on a four-game hitting streak. Salvador Perez is also having a strong season, hitting .277 with 22 homers.

The Reds Are Coming Off A Win

The Reds’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Cardinals, closing out their series with a 9-2 win. After allowing one run to the Cardinals in the top of the first, the Reds responded with four runs of their own. Cincinnati went on to add another four runs in the 3rd inning.

Starting for the Reds was Emilio Pagan, who picked up the win while tossing two scoreless innings. Cincinnati’s offense was carried by Jonathan India, who went 3/5 with two homers and four RBIs.

After sweeping the Cardinals in their last series, the Reds are looking to extend their winning streak to five games as they host the Royals. They are currently 9 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central and 9 games behind the Cardinals for the 2nd spot in the division.

This season, the Reds have a 66-55 run-line record, including a 37-22 record on the road. When the over/under line is set at 9.5 runs, their O/U record is 18-9. The average total runs scored in Reds games this season is 8.5, and their overall O/U record is 55-62.

Nick Martinez Gets The Start For The Reds

Cincinnati is sending Nick Martinez to the mound today, and he has made 33 appearances this season, including seven starts. Martinez has a record of 6-5 and an ERA of 3.17. In his 91 innings of work, he has issued just 10 walks and has a BB/9 figure of 0.99. Martinez’s last outing came against the Brewers, where he went seven innings, giving up one homer and one earned run. He finished with a no-decision in that outing. Before that, he had won two straight starts.

Reds Offense Breakdown

Over the past seven games, Spencer Steer has been swinging a hot bat for the Reds, hitting .409 with three homers and nine RBIs. This has helped him move into the team lead in RBIs for the season, with 75. Steer is also 3rd on the team in home runs, with 18. Elly De La Cruz is batting .263 for the season and has gone deep 21 times, which is the best mark on the team and 15th in the league.

As a team, the Reds are averaging 4.5 runs per game, which is 14th in the league. They are also 9th in the league in home runs. Overall, they have a team batting average of just .230 and have the 24th most strikeouts in the league. Currently, TJ Friedl, Nick Martini, and Spencer Steer are all on three-game hitting streaks.

Royals vs Reds Prediction

Our prediction for this Royals vs. Reds matchup is to take the Reds on the money line at -141. We have the Reds winning this one by a score of 6-5, which would also have the over hitting, as the line is currently sitting at 9.5 runs.

Looking at today’s starters, Nick Martinez of the Reds has the third-best chances of picking up a win and is also projected to finish with the lowest ERA among all starters. As for Michael Lorenzen, he does have the second-best chances of picking up a win, but his projected ERA is the highest among all starters.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* 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.