The San Diego Padres (30-29) travel to face off against the Kansas City Royals (35-23) on Friday, May 31st. This game will be played at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City and televised on None. Both the Padres and Royals are looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. First pitch is set for 7:10 CT.
Padres vs Royals
Heading into their last game vs. the Marlins, the Padres closed out the series with a 9-1 loss. San Diego was the heavy favorite at -184. Things really got away from the Padres in the 2nd inning, as the Marlins scored two runs to take the lead. Miami added another two runs in the 3rd to go up 4-0. The Marlins tacked on three more runs in the 5th to put things out of reach. San Diego’s offense scored their only run in the 3rd.
Yu Darvish got the start for the Padres and took the loss. He only lasted three innings, giving up six earned runs. Ha-Seong Kim had a rough outing as well, going only one inning and giving up two earned runs. The Padres’s offense was carried by Donovan Solano, who went 2/4 with a run scored.
San Diego is 30-29 overall and is 6.5 games behind the Dodgers for the NL West lead. The Padres will be on the road today to take on the Royals, and they are 3rd in the NL West standings, tied with the Giants for 2nd place.
At home, the Padres have gone just 13-19 this year, but they have been good on the road, coming in with a mark of 17-10. As the road favorite, the Padres are 7-4 this year, and they have won two straight as the road favorite. San Diego’s overall series record is 11-7-2, and they won their most recent series vs. the Marlins.
When betting the run line on the Padres, it’s important to know that they have been a much better bet on the road, where they are 21-6. They have covered the run line in two straight road games and have an average scoring margin of +1.6 runs per game away from home. They are just 10-22 against the run line at home, where they have an average scoring margin of -1.2 runs per game.
When the Padres are on the road, the over/under line is set at 8 runs. Their games have averaged 8.6 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 30-28. When the line is set at 8 runs, they have gone 4-6-1. This season, 40.7% of their games have had over/under lines set at 8 runs.
Dylan Cease Gets The Start For The Padres
Right-hander Dylan Cease gets the start for the Padres today as he faces the Royals on the road. Cease has made 11 starts this year and has a record of 5-4 with a 3.29 ERA. Looking at his overall numbers, Cease has a WHIP of .96 and opponents are batting .185 this season. Cease has made six appearances on the road and is 4-0 with a 3.06 ERA. In his last outing, Cease took the loss, giving up four earned runs in 6 2/3 innings of work. Before that, he had gone 2-0 in three straight starts.
Padres Offense Breakdown
Heading into today’s game, the Padres offense is averaging 4.3 runs per game, which is 14th in the league. They have been even better on the road, averaging 5.1 runs per game. Overall, they are batting .255 as a team, which is the 4th best mark in the league. San Diego’s top two hitters are Jurickson Profar and Luis Arraez, who are batting .323 and .332, respectively. Profar’s 35 RBIs are the best mark on the team and 12th in the league.
Over his last seven games, Donovan Solano is 7/17, and he is also on a three-game hitting streak. Luis Arraez and Fernando Tatis Jr. are also on five-game hitting streaks. Tatis Jr. has gone deep nine times this season, which is the best mark for the Padres and 9th in the league.
The Royals will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Twins with a 7-6 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 9th inning before the Twins scored two runs in the bottom of the 9th. Kansas City was the +136 underdog on the road going into this matchup.
Daniel Lynch IV got the start for the Royals and took the loss. He only lasted five innings, giving up two earned runs, and issued three walks. Kansas City’s offense was carried by Vinnie Pasquantino, who went 2/5 with a homer and two RBIs.
Kansas City is 35-23 overall and trails the Guardians by three games in the AL Central. The Royals lost three of four in their most recent series vs. the Twins. At home, the Royals are 21-8 this season.
As the favorite, the Royals are 18-7 this year and 17-16 as the underdog. Kansas City has an overall series record of 10-8 heading into today’s matchup with the Padres. At home, they are 9-5 as the underdog this year.
The Royals have been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 38-20 overall. They have been particularly strong at home, going 20-9 against the run line. Their average run margin this season is +1.4 runs per game, and their average run margin in winning games is +4.1 runs per game. They have covered the run line in seven straight games at home and are 3-0 against the run line as an underdog in their last three games.
The Kansas City Royals are at home today against the San Diego Padres. The over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs, which is right around their season average of 8.3 runs per game. The Royals have played 56.9% of their games this season with an over/under line set higher than 8 runs, and their record in games with an over/under line of 8 runs is 6-4-1.
Michael Wacha Gets The Start For The Royals
Michael Wacha will be looking to bounce back from his last outing, where he took the loss and gave up two earned runs in six innings of work. In that start vs. the Rays, he gave up three walks and one homer. Before that outing, Wacha had won three straight starts. His ERA for the season is 4.31, along with a record of 4-5. Wacha’s WHIP for the season is 1.26. Out of his 11 starts, he has turned in six quality starts and is averaging 7.76 strikeouts per nine innings. For the year, he has allowed six homers and is averaging 2.73 walks per nine innings.
Royals Offense Breakdown
As a team, the Royals are 6th in the league in scoring, averaging 4.9 runs per game. At home, they have been even better, putting up 5.5 runs per contest. Overall, they are batting .251, which is 6th in the league, and have the 6th best slugging percentage in the league. Kansas City has been tough to strike out this season, but they are just 22nd in the league in walks.
Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. have been two of the Royals’ top hitters this season, as Perez is batting .320 with a team-high 10 homers, and Witt Jr. is hitting .309 with nine homers. Witt Jr. has been especially hot of late, going 16/44 in his last 10 games with four homers and 15 RBIs. Nelson Velazquez has also hit four homers in his last eight games, but he is batting just .207 over that stretch.
Padres vs Royals Prediction
There are a few different ways you could look to bet on this game, but our top pick would be to take the Royals on the money line at +111. We actually have the Royals winning this one 6-5, and with the payout at +111, this is a good value pick.
If you’re looking to bet on the over/under, we would take the over at 8 runs. However, we have this one finishing with a combined 11 runs, so there isn’t a lot of room for error on the over/under line.
Today’s Starting Pitchers:
- Dylan Cease (Padres): With a predicted six strikeouts, Cease is a good option for DFS, but we have him finishing with a no-decision.
- Michael Wacha (Royals): Wacha is predicted to finish with four strikeouts, and he is our second-best option to pick up a win today.
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:May 31, 2024 Padres, Royals