Royals vs. Red Sox Pick
Can David Price shake off the media distractions and lead the Boston Red Sox to a win over the Kansas City Royals when these two open their series tonight at 7:10PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Boston is the clear favorite in this game, as the Red Sox are getting odds of -200 to win. Kansas City is listed with a money line of +170 to prevail. The over/under total for the game has been set at 9.5 runs.
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The pitching matchup tonight has Jason Vargas (12-4, 3.08 ERA) on the mound for KC to face Price (5-3, 3.82) of the Red Sox. Price has been having some issues with the media and is coming off a 6-run, 5-inning outing against the Angels last week. This season, Price has 63 strikeouts with 22 walks and a 1.27 WHIP. Vargas finally bounced back after a pair of 6-run outings. He pitched five innings last week against the White Sox and allowed just two runs. On the season, he has 84 strikeouts with 30 walks and a 1.24 WHIP.
The Royals are coming in hot, winning eight straight games over the likes of the Tigers and the White Sox. Kansas City is now 53-47 overall and 23-24 on the road. The Royals are putting up 4.37 runs per game while allowing 4.40 per contest. KC is being led by Mike Moustakas, who has 29 home runs with 66 RBI. Salvador Perez is adding 20 home runs and 62 RBI.
The Red Sox snapped a four-game losing streak with a 4-0 win over the Mariners in Seattle on Wednesday. Boston is just 2-5 in its last seven games. The Sox are now 56-47 overall and 29-18 at home. They are averaging 4.65 runs per game this season while allowing 4.03 per contest. The Sox are being led by Mookie Betts, who has 31 doubles, 17 home runs, 17 stolen bases and 61 RBI. Dustin Pedroia is hitting .310 with 17 doubles and 54 RBI.
Both pitchers have struggled in recent starts. Price has been a bit of a head-case this season as well, lashing out at media on multiple occasions. Kansas City isn’t lacking in confidence as a team right now and the Royals are sending their ace to the mound. I know beating Detroit and the White Sox isn’t anything special, but it still should help tonight as a major underdog. Vargas can hang with Price when on his game and I think the Sox are too favored for this particular matchup. I am taking my chances with the big underdog.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: KANSAS CITY ROYALS +170