The Kansas City Royals (37-79) and Boston Red Sox (59-55) will square off in the finale of a four-game series on Thursday.
While the Royals’ playoff chances are practically non-existent, they will still try to play spoiler for a Red Sox team fighting to get into playoff contention.
As you consider your MLB picks, read ahead to get a breakdown of this matchup and the Royals vs Red Sox best bets.
Kansas City Royals vs. Boston Red Sox Odds
Kansas City Royals vs. Boston Red Sox Information
Royals vs Red Sox
Location of the game: Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts.
Date & Time: Thursday, August 10. 7:10 pm ET.
How to watch: MLB.TV
Recent Scores
Looking at recent Kansas City Royals games, they come into this one having gone just 6-4 in their last 10 MLB games. Unfortunately for Royals fans, they haven’t played particularly well on the road, as they have a record of just 16-43.
Their road woes have shown in this series, as they have lost two of the first three to the Red Sox. Boston won in their last game, on Wednesday, 4-3.
In terms of their MLB standings, the Royals sit dead last in the AL Central, 23 games behind the Minnesota Twins. At 37-79, they have the second-worst record in all of baseball, only better than the Oakland Athletics (33-82).
Taking a look at the Boston Red Sox standings, they sit in fourth in a loaded AL East division, 11 games behind the Baltimore Orioles. The Red Sox sit five games back of the last Wild Card spot.
Boston comes into this one having gone just 3-7 in their last ten games. At Fenway Park this season, they are a solid 32-27.
Kansas City Royals vs. Boston Red Sox Analysis
Trying to get a series split on Thursday, the Royals will turn to 26-year-old lefty Austin Cox. In 15 games, he is 0-1 with a 3.58 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and has 23 strikeouts in 27.2 innings.
Cox will serve as an opener in what will be a bullpen game. In his last three outings, he has gone a combined 3.1 innings, allowing one earned run.
Before the season started, no one made a Kansas City Royals prediction that they would have a dominant team, but many hoped they would be better than what they have shown. To date, they rank 28th in MLB team stats in scoring, averaging just 3.92 runs per game.
Stats to Watch
Leading Kansas City’s offense is shortstop Bobby Witt Jr, who is hitting .269/.311/.474 with a team-leading 20 home runs, 68 runs batted in, 59 runs scored, and 34 stolen bases.
The Boston Red Sox will counter with 34-year-old lefty James Paxton on the mound. His MLB player stats show that he is 6-3 in 14 games with a 3.60 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and he has 84 strikeouts in 75 innings.
Paxton took the loss in his last outing against the Blue Jays. In five innings, he allowed four earned runs on nine hits.
In terms of MLB team stats, the Red Sox rank eighth in scoring, averaging 4.88 runs per game (5.45 at home). Rafael Devers leads the offense hitting .263/.333/.513 with a team-leading 26 home runs and 79 runs batted in.
Odds Breakdown
Before determining the Royals vs Red Sox best bets, it is important to look at the MLB odds for this game.
Royals Aim To Upset Red Sox As Road Underdogs
The Royals are the underdogs in this game playing on the road. They are +200 to win, and their spread sits at +1.5, with odds of +110.
Red Sox Look For Series Win
Playing at home, the Red Sox are the favorites in this one. Their moneyline sits at -240. Their spread sits at -1.5, with odds of -130.
The over/under for total runs sits at 10.5. The over has odds of -105, while the under 10.5 runs sits at -115.
Kansas City Royals vs. Boston Red Sox Betting Pick and Prediction
For our Royals vs Red Sox best bets, we will take the Red Sox to win big in the finale. While James Paxton is not an ace, he is a crafty veteran who should be able to subdue a struggling Royals’ offense.
On the flip side, the Royals will rely heavily on a subpar bullpen to keep the Red Sox off the board. As it is, Kansas City has just the 28th-best scoring defense, allowing opponents an average of 5.31 runs per game.
- For that reason, take the Red Sox to both win and cover the -1.5 spread (-130).
While the Red Sox offense could put up a big number in this game, don’t expect the same from Kansas City. As such, take the under 10.5 runs (-115) in Thursday’s finale.
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