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The Kansas City Royals (17-13) and Toronto Blue Jays (15-15) play the middle contest of a 3-game series Tuesday at Rogers Centre. First pitch is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Royals vs. Blue Jays odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Royals lead 3-2
The Blue Jays won the series opener Monday, 6-5, as moderate favorites (-160) as the Over (8.5) cashed. Kansas City won 3 of the 4 meetings at Kauffman Stadium last week as the Under connected in every outing.
The Royals enter on a 3-game losing skid, though it’s not the offense’s fault. Kansas City has scored 11 runs in the past 3 games, but it has allowed 16 runs, with the Over cashing in 2 of 3 games, including Monday’s series opener.
The Blue Jays have won consecutive games for the first time since April 19-20 in San Diego, and they have won 2 in a row at home for the first time since winning 4 in a row April 13-16.
Royals at Blue Jays projected starters
LHP Cole Ragans vs. RHP Jose Berrios
Ragans (1-2, 3.90 ERA) makes his 7th start. He has a 1.43 WHIP, 3.0 BB/9 and 11.1 K/9 in 30 innings.
- Last start: Win, CG, 5 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 4 K in 2-1 home victory in 5-inning game after 3½-hour rain delay Thursday vs. Blue Jays
- 2023 road splits: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 12 1/3 IP, 0 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 15 K, .143 opponents’ batting average (OBA) and 0.73 WHIP in 2 starts
Berrios (4-1, 1.23 ERA) makes his 7th start. He has a 1.04 WHIP, 3.0 BB/9 and 6.9 K/9 in 36 2/3 innings.
- Last start: Loss, 5 IP, CG, 2 ER, 3 H (1 HR), 3 BB, 1 K in Thursday’s loss
- 2024 home splits: 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 13 2/3 IP, 0 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 13 K and .128 OBA with 0.66 WHIP in 2 starts
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Royals at Blue Jays odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:24 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Royals +120 (bet $100 to win $120) | Blue Jays -145 (bet $145 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Royals +1.5 (-165) | Blue Jays -1.5 (+140)
- Over/Under (O/U): 8 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Royals at Blue Jays picks and predictions
Prediction
Blue Jays 3, Royals 2
Moneyline
The BLUE JAYS (-145) are a decent play as moderate favorites against the Royals (+120).
Ragans and Berrios matched up in a soggy game Thursday which was called after 5 innings. Both pitchers recorded 5-inning complete games in a well-pitched outing through the raindrops.
Toronto has been solid at home, including wins over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the interleague series finale Sunday, and a win over the Royals in Monday’s series opener.
Run line/Against the spread
The Royals +1.5 (-165) are a little expensive on the run line if you’d like insurance and just can’t bring yourself to play Kansas City straight up.
Conversely, the Blue Jays -1.5 (+140) aren’t a recommended play to win by 2 or more runs, as Ragans has been surprisingly tough on the road, and Toronto is 0-4 in the past 4 games as a favorite on the run line.
PASS.
Over/Under
UNDER 8 (-115) might be the strongest play on the board.
The Under has cashed in 6 of the past 8 games for the Blue Jays while cashing low in each of the past 5 starts by Berrios since his initial start of the season March 28 on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Under is on a 6-2-1 run in the past 9 games for the Royals, including all 3 games last week in Kansas City against these Blue Jays. Kansas City has also seen the Under go 10-4-1 in the past 15 games and 4-1-1 in Ragans’ 6 outings.
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