The Kansas City Royals (18-41) and the Miami Marlins (32-28) open a 3-game interleague series Monday at loanDepot Park in Miami. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET (FS1). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Royals vs. Marlins odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: First meeting since 2019 when Royals won series 2-1
The Royals picked up a 2-0 win on Sunday afternoon at home against the Colorado Rockies, halting a 3-game losing streak. Kansas City has won 3 of the last 8 games against NL teams while going 8-15 overall this season in interleague play.
The Marlins swept the hapless Oakland Athletics over the weekend at home, outscoring the A’s 23-6 to move 4 games above .500. Miami has won 6 in a row against AL teams, also sweeping the Los Angeles Angels in a 3-game road set from May 26-28. The Marlins are an impressive 10-2 in interleague play this season.
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Royals at Marlins projected starters
RHP Carlos Hernandez vs. LHP Braxton Garrett
Hernandez (0-3, 4.76 ERA) makes his 3rd start and 25th appearance overall. He has a 1.20 WHIP, 2.5 BB/9 and 12.1 K/9 in 28 1/3 innings.
- Last start: No-decision, 2 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K as an opener in a 5-2 road loss vs. the Chicago White Sox on May 21
- 2023 road splits: 0-2, 2.40 ERA (15 IP, 4 ER) with 3 BB, 23 K and a .208 opponent batting average (OBA) in 2 starts and 9 relief appearances
Garrett (1-2, 4.22 ERA) makes his 11th start and 12th appearance overall. He has a 1.31 WHIP, 2.0 BB/9 and 9.1 K/9 in 53 1/3 innings.
- Last start: No-decision, 5 1/3 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 7 K in a 2-1 home win vs. the San Diego Padres Wednesday
- 2023 home splits: 0-1, 6.17 ERA (23 1/3 IP, 16 ER – 6 HR) with a .302 OBA in 4 starts and 1 relief appearance
Royals at Marlins odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:03 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Royals +145 (bet $100 to win $145) | Marlins -175 (bet $175 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Royals +1.5 (-140) | Marlins -1.5 (+115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 8 (O: -115 | U: -105)
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Royals at Marlins picks and predictions
Prediction
Marlins 5, Royals 2
Moneyline
The MARLINS (-175) are just under the wire for my personal limit on a moneyline bet.
Miami has been red-hot in interleague play lately, winning 6 in a row, and 10 of the last 11 games. The Marlins are also 5-0 in the last 5 at home against the American League.
The Fish have cashed in 5 of the last 6 tries against right-handed starting pitchers, too, while going 8-2 in the last 10 overall at home.
On the flip side, the Royals (+145) have won just 6 of the last 21 interleague games, while cashing in just 5 of the last 17 tries against left-handed starting pitchers.
Run line/Against the spread
The MARLINS -1.5 (+115) are worth a look on the run line.
Miami has covered the run line in each of the last 3 games, all against the A’s this past weekend. It has also won the last 6 interleague games by at least 2 runs, too.
As an underdog, the Royals +1.5 (-140) have covered 3 in a row on the run line, winning 2 of those games outright. However, Kansas City is just 2-5 on the run line in the last 7 games overall.
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Over/Under
The UNDER 8 (-115) is the line in this interleague series opener.
The Under has cashed in 6 of the last 7 games overall for the Royals, while going 15-5-1 in the last 21 games on the road. The Under is 6-1 in the last 7 interleague outings, too.
For the Marlins, the Over is 9-4-1 in the last 14 games at home. However, the Under is 4-1 in the previous 5 series openers, while going 3-1-1 in the last 5 against AL Central foes.
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