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The Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals will conclude a four-game set at Fenway Park on Thursday afternoon. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Royals – Red Sox prediction and pick.
Boston will be looking for the sweep as they’ve defeated the Royals in the first three games of this series. After two one-run games to open up, Boston finally pulled away with a four-run victory on Wednesday night. They have been tearing the cover off of the ball and have shown no signs of slowing down against an underwhelming Royals club that has lost eight straight games coming in.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Royals-Red Sox odds.
MLB Odds: Royals-Red Sox Odds
Kansas City Royals +1.5 (+108)
Boston Red Sox -1.5 (-128)
Over 10 Runs (-120)
Under 10 Runs (+100)
Why The Royals Could Cover The Spread
After a strong start to the season that saw Kansas City go 15-9 in April, the Royals have come down to earth in a big way and now sit at 33-46 on the season. They have lost eight-straight games and have allowed at least four runs in every game. The Red Sox have plated 19 runs through the first three games of this series and Kansas City’s pitching will really need to get it together in a hurry if they want to salvage this series.
Kansas City’s offense has really struggled down the stretch. They are averaging 4.13 runs per game this season, which is the 10th-worst mark in the Majors. The Royals have been worse with the bats on the road as they’re averaging just 3.57 runs per game in road games as well. They’ve put up 4.33 runs per game through the first three games of this series and were held to just two runs on Wednesday night.
The Royals will send left-hander Kris Bubic to the bump for the finale. Bubic comes in at 2-3 with a 4.47 ERA through seven starts and 14 appearances this season. The southpaw took the loss in his last outing as he allowed three runs in two-thirds of an inning against the Rangers. Bubic has really struggled on the road with a 1-3 record and 6.46 ERA over 23.2 innings of work.
Why The Red Sox Could Cover The Spread
The Boston Red Sox are red-hot right now as they’ve won six-straight games and their last seven home games coming in. They’ll be looking for their second-straight sweep after taking three from the Yankees over the weekend as well. Boston is now 50-31 on the season, which puts them three games ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East standings.
Boston has been one of the best offensive clubs in all of baseball this season. They are currently averaging 5.06 runs per game, which is good for third-best in the Majors. The Red Sox are averaging 5.16 runs at Fenway Park this season and have put up 6.33 runs per game through the first three of this series. They have enjoyed facing left-handed pitching as they’re 16-11 in games that feature southpaw starters.
The Red Sox will hand the ball to right-hander Nathan Eovaldi as they look to complete the sweep. Eovaldi comes in with an 8-4 record and 3.67 ERA through 16 starts this season. The hard-throwing right-hander earned the win in his last start, tossing 7.2 innings of one-run ball against the New York Yankees. Eovaldi is 4-3 with a 3.92 ERA over 64.1 innings of work at Fenway Park.
Final Royals – Red Sox Prediction & Pick
There is no reason to believe that Boston won’t pull off the sweep in convincing fashion. They have been tearing the cover off of the ball and doing enough in the field to combat a counter. The disparity in the pitching matchup is clear as day and the Red Sox should be in line to comfortably cover this spread. Nathan Eovaldi has been very impressive lately and now has a favorable matchup on his hands. I expect this red-hot lineup to rough up Kris Bubic early and often.
FINAL PICK: Boston Red Sox -1.5 (-128)
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