The Boston Red Sox (42-27) and Kansas City Royals (30-37) will open a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook‘s lines around the Red Sox vs. Royals odds with MLB picks and predictions.
RHP Nick Pivetta is the projected starting pitcher for the Red Sox. He is 6-2 with a 4.28 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 10.4 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 69 1/3 IP over 13 starts.
Pivetta has lost two of his last three starts, including his worst outing of the season his last time on the mound. He gave up 6 ER in 5 innings against the Blue Jays Saturday, surrendering 4 home runs – one fewer than he had allowed all season prior to that start.
RHP Kyle Zimmer is the projected starting pitcher for the Royals. He is 3-0 with a 2.19 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 8.8 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 24 2/3 IP over 22 relief appearances.
Zimmer has not made a start this season and only has one start in his career. However, he’s pitched well in relief lately, allowing just 1 ER in his last 14 innings. The Royals have lost the last four games in which he has appeared.
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Red Sox at Royals odds, lines, picks and prediction
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 4:08 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Red Sox -160 (bet $160 to win $100) | Royals +135 (bet $100 to win $135)
- Against the spread/ATS: Red Sox -1.5 (-105) | Royals +1.5 (-115)
- Over/Under: 10.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Prediction
Red Sox 7, Royals 5
Money line (ML)
The Royals have dropped six straight and nine of their last 10 games, failing to score more than five runs in nine games along that stretch. The Red Sox have won their last three games, including back-to-back 10-8 wins over the Braves.
Boston is 22-10 on the road this season and I expect that trend to continue against a struggling Kansas City team. BET the RED SOX (-160) to win straight-up.
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Run line/Against the spread (ATS)
In their last 11 games, the Royals have only covered the spread twice. With Zimmer making his first start and acting as the opener, the Kansas bullpen is going to be tested.
Pivetta struggled his last time out, but he’ll bounce back against a team that rarely scores more than three runs. I like the RED SOX -1.5 (-105) to cover.
Over/Under (O/U)
The total has gone Over in six of Boston’s last eight games as the offense has really come alive in the last two games with 10 runs scored in each. The Over/Under is on the higher side at 10.5 runs, but this should be a higher-scoring game.
I like the OVER (-110) tonight.
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