Kansas City Royals vs Boston Red Sox Prediction and Betting Odds August 4
Kansas City Royals vs Boston Red Sox Betting Preview
WagerTalk MLB handicapper Andy Lang offers his analysis of Thursday’s Kansas City Royals vs Boston Red Sox clash at Target Field. Both the Royals and the Red Sox sit in dead last in their respective divisions.
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| Thursday, August 4 | MLB Betting Notes, Courtesy of Caesars |
|---|---|
| Moneyline: | Kansas City Royals +118 vs Boston Red Sox -140 |
| Runline: | Royals +1.5 (-145) / Red Sox -1.5 (+125) |
| Total: | 9 Runs (Over -105 / Under -115) |
| Game Time: | 8:10pm ET / 5:10pm PT |
| Where: | Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO |
| Weather: | 90 Degrees / Clear |
Kansas City Royals vs Boston Red Sox Analysis
The Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals square off for the first of four games from Kauffman Stadium this weekend. The Royals dropped two of three games in Chicago against the White Sox and fell to 41-64 on the season.
The Red Sox somehow managed to come out of Houston with victories in two of three games resulting in a .500 record at 53-53. Boston will send the veteran righty Nick Pivetta to the mound, while Kansas City turns to the young southpaw Kris Bubic. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 PM EST/5:10 PST.
So You’re Saying There’s a Chance
The Boston Red Sox moves around the deadline were interesting to say the least as they seemed to be sellers as they parted ways with Christian Vazquez but then held on to JD Martinez and Nathan Eovaldi who were rumored to be moved.
They didn’t make big splashes but added Eric Hosmer, Tommy Pham & Reese McGuire. Head coach Alex Cora seemed relieved to still have Martinez & Eovaldi and repeated the phrase “we are only three games out”. The Sox fell short of a three game sweep as they fell 6-1 to the Houston Astros yesterday.
Rich Hill was knocked around for four runs in only three innings and Xander Bogaerts had a solo blast to provide the only offensive production. The newly acquired McGuire had two singles.
Nick Pivetta gets the nod in this one after a tough outing where he gave up four runs on nine hits in five innings against the Milwaukee Brewers. He is 8-8 on the season with a 4.47 ERA and 1.32 WHIP. Pivetta has had issues keeping the ball in the yard recently with six homeruns allowed in his last four outings.
Royal Pains
The Kansas City Royals lineup has struggled all season long as they rank 25th in OPS and 26th in runs scored. They lost two of three games in their last series against the Chicago White Sox and only managed to score five runs combined.
Yesterday was a 4-1 loss where Bobby Witt Jr had a solo-blast. Brady Singer gave up 11 hits resulting in four runs in six innings of work. To make matters worse, Kansas City traded away their best hitters in outfielder Andrew Benintendi and Whit Merrifield.
They turn to the southpaw Kris Bubic to right the ship. However he may not be the man for the job as the Royals have lost six of his last seven outings. Bubic is 2-6 on the season with a 5.45 ERA and 1.60 WHIP.
Kansas City Royals vs Boston Red Sox Prediction
The Boston Red Sox are favored with a money line set at -140, while the Kansas City Royals sit at +120 with a total of 9. The one thing that stands out is the Royals inability to score runs.
In their last nine games they have been shutout three times and scored two runs or less four times. The lineup is significantly weaker without their top two sluggers in Whit Merrifield and Andrew Benintendi.
The Red Sox lineup has a much higher ceiling based on their superior talent. The right-handed bats and Rafael Devers should be enough to give Bubic headaches. Let’s keep the bullpens out of this one and take Red Sox first five inning money line at a reasonable price.
Prediction: Boston Red Sox F5 -135 DK (first five inning money line)
First Pitch | MLB Predictions for Thursday, August 4
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Meet the Author
Andy Lang has lived in Indianapolis his whole life, and like most people from the Hoosier State, he became fascinated with motor sports. That interest in motor sports turned into a desire to make money off the sport through fantasy contests and sports betting. Like most, he took his lumps when he first got started, but now he is one of the most respected NASCAR bettors in the industry. Andy has expanded that sports betting experience to become profitable in a number of other sports, transforming this interest from a side hobby to a major source of income.
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