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Kansas City Royals vs. Chicago White Sox Betting Preview 08/02/18

Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Royals will head north to Guaranteed Rate Field to play their division rival Chicago White Sox. NBC Sports Chicago is in line to broadcast the matchup and the game gets going at 2:10 p.m. ET.

Kansas City Royals vs. Chicago White Sox Odds

Oddsmakers are listing Chicago (-135) as the favorite over Kansas City (+125). Bettors can wager on the game’s total with odds posted at -120 for over 9 runs and even money (+100) for under 9. Bettors can also wager on the game’s runline with the current odds coming in at Royals +1.5 runs (-170) and White Sox -1.5 runs (+150).

The Royals have gone 32-72 SU this year and are 49-57 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 26.0 units for moneyline gamblers and 16.6 units ATS. The White Sox, on the other hand, are 37-67 SU and 52-54 ATS. They’ve lost 19.8 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 9.3 units ATS.

Chicago games have had an over/under record of 50-51-5 in 2018. The Royals have been a good under bet with a total record of 43-57-6.

Brad Keller will get the start for the visiting Royals. The right-handed Keller (4-4, 3.43 ERA) has racked up 45 strikeouts in 76 innings so far. He’s 0-1 with three strikeouts and a 9.53 ERA against Chicago this year.

The White Sox will put the ball in the right hand of Reynaldo Lopez (4-9, 4.57 ERA), who’s got 86 strikeouts and 55 walks this season as well as a 1.39 WHIP. Lopez is 0-1 with nine strikeouts and a 4.50 ERA across two starts against Kansas City this year.

Kansas City’s pitching staff allowed 5.5 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 5.27 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 7.28 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 5.39, along with a K/9 of 6.94.

Royals hitters have slashed .241/.304/.373 on their way to 3.7 runs scored per game this season, including 4.0 runs per game against divisional foes and 5.0 per game over the team’s last five outings (2-3 SU).

Kansas City’s offense has been powered by second baseman Whit Merrifield and third baseman Mike Moustakas, who collectively have swatted 25 home runs. The speedy Merrifield is hitting .300/.372/.422 with five home runs, 32 RBIs, 49 runs and 22 stolen bases, while Moustakas (.249/.309/.468) is up to 20 homers, 62 RBIs and 46 runs scored.

For the home team, Chicago’s pitching staff has allowed 5.4 runs per game overall this season. The club’s starting pitching staff has a 5.31 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 6.5 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.57 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 9.5 K/9. In 41 games against divisional opponents, White Sox starters have an ERA of 4.63 and the bullpen’s ERA is 3.27.

The Chicago offense is putting up 4.1 runs per outing, including 4.1 per game against divisional foes and 5.8 per game over its last five. The team has a slash-line of .266/.321/.514 over its last five matchups and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.

The White Sox offense has been led by first baseman Jose Abreu and third baseman Yolmer Sanchez. Abreu is hitting .260/.322/.460 with 16 home runs, 59 RBIs and 52 runs scored, while Sanchez’s line is .249/.305/.392 with six homers, 43 RBIs, 37 runs and 10 stolen bases.

The Royals have lost 23.6 units and are 29-42 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in 30 of those games, compared to 36 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the White Sox have lost 9.8 units and are 41-39 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over’s cashed in 37 of those games, compared to 38 that went under.

Kansas City Royals at Chicago White Sox Free MLB Pick

Predictions: SU Winner – White Sox, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – OVER

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Notes

Betting Notes

The over has hit in five of Chicago’s last seven games.

Kansas City has posted 21.9 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 25.8 over its last five.

The Royals have hit 10 home runs in their last 10 games, including six over their last five.

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Written by GMS Previews

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