The Kansas City Royals (67-55) travel to face off against the Cincinnati Reds (60-62) on Saturday, August 17th. This game will be played at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati and televised on BSKC. The Royals are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Reds are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Royals. First pitch is set for 5:40 CT.
Royals vs. Reds Betting Prediction
- Money Line Prediction: Reds (-129)
- Over/Under Prediction: Over 9.5 Runs
- The Reds have won 8 of their last 15 games, showing a recent positive trend in performance.
- In their last 5 home games, the Reds have scored an average of 5.4 runs per game, indicating strong offensive performance at home.
- The Reds have a 6-4 record in their last 10 games, compared to the Royals’ 5-5 record in the same span, showing slightly better recent form.
- The Reds have outscored their opponents by a total of 22 runs in their last 5 home wins, demonstrating their ability to dominate games at home.
- The Reds have a better overall home record (31-32) compared to the Royals’ away record (29-30), suggesting a home-field advantage.
Royals vs Reds
Thanks to a four-run 9th inning for the Royals’ offense, they cruised to a 7-1 win over the Reds in the most recent game of this series. Heading into the game, the Royals were at +123 on the money line.
The starting pitching matchup for this game featured Michael Lorenzen for the Royals, and he went just 5 2/3 innings while giving up one run and striking out three. Nick Martinez got the start for the Reds, going six innings and giving up three earned runs.
Kansas City got a huge performance from Bobby Witt Jr., as he went 3/4 with a home run and scored three times. Both Vinnie Pasquantino and Freddy Fermin each drove in two for the Royals’ offense.
So far this season, the Royals have gone 68-54 against the run line, including a 36-24 record as underdogs. Their average run margin in winning games is +4.0, while in losses it is -3.2. Kansas City is 67-55 overall and on a two-game winning streak heading into today’s game against the Reds.
As underdogs, the Royals have a 14-21 record on the road. Their games have gone under the total in two straight, and their over/under record for the season is 55-64. The average run total in their games is 8.8, and only 4.9% of their games have had over/under lines of 9.5 runs or higher.
Michael Wacha Gets The Start For The Royals
Michael Wacha is looking to build off his last outing, where he faced off against the Cardinals and picked up the win. In that outing, he went seven innings, giving up two earned runs, and he finished with six strikeouts. Looking back over his last three outings, Wacha has given up two earned runs in each of them. He has made 21 starts this season and has a record of 9-6 with a 3.50 ERA. Wacha’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.22. This year, he has allowed a total of 14 home runs. Out of his 11 quality starts, six have come on the road.
Royals Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Royals are averaging 4.8 runs per game, which is 10th in the league. They have been even better at home, putting up an average of 5.3 runs per game. Overall, they are one of the top home run hitting teams in the league, and they also have the 6th best team batting average in the league.
One of the biggest reasons for the Royals’ success on offense has been the play of Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez. Witt Jr. comes into the game with a batting average of .352 and has gone 17/40 with five homers over his last 10 games. Perez is also having a strong season, batting .278 with 22 homers.
Currently, the Reds are tied with the Cardinals for 2nd place in the NL Central and are 10 games behind the Brewers. They have an 18-17 record in divisional games and are 31-32 at home and 29-30 on the road this season.
On the run line, the Reds have a 66-56 record, including 37-22 on the road and 40-24 as underdogs. Their games have averaged 8.5 runs, and the over has hit in 18 of 28 games with a 9.5-run total. Heading into today’s game, their over/under record for the season is 55-63.
Nick Lodolo Gets The Start For The Reds
Cincinnati is starting left-hander Nick Lodolo today vs. the Royals. He has made 19 starts this season and has a record of 9-4 with an ERA of 3.99. Lodolo’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.14. In his 19 starts, he has turned in eight quality starts and is averaging 9.22 strikeouts per nine innings. The last time Lodolo pitched, he finished with a no-decision, giving up three earned runs in 5 1/3 innings of work. Before that outing, he had won two straight starts.
Reds Offense Breakdown
Elly De La Cruz has been one of the Reds’ top hitters this season, batting .261 with a team-leading 21 home runs. His 52 RBIs are also 3rd on the team. Spencer Steer has also been a key power threat for the Reds, as he is 3rd on the team with 18 homers and is 13th in the league with 75 RBIs. Steer comes into the game on a three-game hitting streak and has two homers in his last five games.
Overall, the Reds are averaging 4.5 runs per game and are 10th in home runs. However, they are batting just .230 as a team and are near the bottom of the league in terms of on-base percentage. Cincinnati’s offense has been pretty consistent this season, averaging 4.5 runs per game at home and 4.5 on the road.
Royals vs Reds Prediction
Our predicted final score for this one is 6-5 in favor of the Reds, which means we would be looking to get them on the money line at -129. Offensively, we have the Reds finishing with eight hits compared to the Royals with nine.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Michael Wacha going five innings and finishing with four strikeouts. As for Nick Lodolo, we have him going six innings and also finishing with four K’s.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to chanNewsge.**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:August 17, 2024 Reds, Royals