Royals vs. Pirates Prediction
Will the Pittsburgh Pirates be able to defend their home turf when they play host to the Kansas City Royals tonight at 7:05PM ET?
Game Snapshot & Odds
973 Kansas City Royals at 974 Pittsburgh Pirates
Monday, September 17, 2018
7:05PM ET – PNC Park
TV: FSKC (KC); ATPT (Pit)
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Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, Pittsburgh is favored at home, as the Pirates are getting odds of -170 to win. The Royals are listed with a money line of +160 to win, while the over/under total has been set at 7.5 runs. The public betting for this game currently has 65 percent of the wagers going on Pittsburgh at home. This information is subject to change, however, so be sure to check out our MLB Public Betting Page for updated figures on the game.
Royals playing well
The Kansas City Royal took three of four from Minnesota at home this weekend and have won five of their last seven coming into this game. Kansas City is 52-97 overall and 22-50 on the road. KC is putting up 3.91 runs per game on offense this year while allowing 5.21 per contest.
Brad Keller starts for the Royals this evening. He has started 18 games this season and appeared in a total of 39. Keller has an 8-6 record with a 3.04 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. He has thrown a total of 127.1 innings this year and has 87 strikeouts with 46 walks.
Pirates return home
Pittsburgh won a road series against Milwaukee and have won three of their last four, but went 3-3 on a 6-game road trip last week. The Pirates are now 74-74 overall and 40-34 at home. Pittsburgh is scoring 4.31 runs per game on offense while giving up 4.33 per game on defense.
Joe Musgrove gets the start for the Pirates this evening. He has started 18 games this season and has a 6-9 record with a 3.87 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. Musgrove has pitched a total of 109.1 innings this year and has 96 strikeouts with 23 walks.
MLB Betting Trends
Kansas City
The Royals are just 5-14 in their last 19 Monday games and 1-5 in their last six against NL Central opponents.
Pittsburgh
The Pirates have won four straight interleague home games and eight of their last 11 against the AL Central.
Prediction:
The Royals have had a nice week at home, but now go on the road where they are one of the worst teams in baseball. The Pirates aren’t lighting the world on fire themselves, but are a capable team at home and should be able to hold down this poor KC lineup. Musgrove can have a good start and the Pirates can get to the KC bullpen if Keller poses a challenge.
The Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates -170