A pair of last-place American League clubs will converge for their fourth matchup in less than a week’s time when the Oakland Athletic pay a visit to the Kansas City Royals Friday night. In a three-game slate last weekend, the Royals claimed a series win. This set will be the last time they see one anothe this year unless – miraculously – they reach the postseason.
The Athletics (23-48) are hapless, to put it bluntly. They’ve given away all but three of their last 19 games, including a sweep at the hands of Seattle most recently. Obviously, that hasn’t helped them at all in the MLB standings. They’re 21 contests removed from Houston in the AL West and are tied with Cincinnati as having the fewest wins in MLB matchups.
Kansas City (25-43) has had a smidge more luck lately. They’ve won five of seven, including consecutive series victories over Oakland and the Los Angeles Angels, who are in a tailspin themselves. The Royals idle 12.5 games behind Cleveland in the AL Central.
They’re a better team than you’d expect offensively, at least by a little bit. They teeter near the major leagues’ middle third with a .237 batting average. Then again, the Reds have the exact same mark, which shows that hits don’t always lead to production.
That’s also the case with Kansas City, who has the fourth-fewest RBIs in the MLB. Only rookie shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., catcher Salvador Perez, and second baseman Whit Merrifield have more than 30 runs driven in for the Royals.
Athletics vs. Royals Odds
MLB odds are kinder to the home team here. Kansas City is -1.5 on the run line at +158, while the Athletics are -192 to cover the spread.
On the moneyline, the Royals are -136 and Oakland a +116 underdog. The total has been set at nine runs, with the over being -105 and the under -115 at the time of this writing.
Over all their MLB matchups, the Athletics have turned in what is statistically the worst showing in the batter’s box in the bigs. They’re hitting .209, and second baseman Tony Kemp paces the order with a .221 average himself. If you’re wondering where that ranks in the grand scheme, 138 pro players have a better number.
Left fielder Seth Brown has notched a team-high 32 RBIs and, other than backstop Sean Murphy (28), no one else has more than 18.
Matchup Information
Athletics vs. Royals Betting Preview
Cole Irvin, a 28-year-old left-hander previously of Philadelphia, will be given the ball for the visitors. Up until now, he has a 2-4 record in 11 starts. He’s the owner of a 3.14 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP.
Despite giving up two earned runs or less in four of his last five outings, the Oakland Athletics have dropped each of his last seven starts, dating back to April. Against Kansas City last Saturday, he went 6.1 innings, giving up only three hits and a run. Oakland’s run support just wasn’t there for him, as his side was blanked, 2-0.
Zack Greinke will go for Kansas City, looking to get in the win column for the first time this year. He has an 0-4 record and a 5.05 ERA, which would be the second-worst of his career if the season were to come to a close today.
His strikeout ball just isn’t working, either. He has 25 punchouts over his 51.2 frames on the hill in 2022. A test in the form of the Athletics could help the seasoned veteran get it going.
Oakland Athletics vs. Kansas City Royals Picks and Predictions
It seems like Greinke’s golden days were long ago, but he’s facing a largely ineffective lineup. While it’s likely the hurler doesn’t ever get back to his peak form, he’ll be able to do enough to boost the Royals to a win in this one.
Take Kansas City to cover the spread in your MLB picks today.
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