Chicago White Sox vs Kansas City Royals Betting Pick & Prediction 7/19/24
From Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, we have the White Sox and Royals facing off in an AL Central matchup. This one gets started at 8:10 PM ET and NBCS is carrying it on TV. The White Sox are 27-71 overall, and they are 5th in the AL Central, while the Royals are 3rd in the division at 52-45.
The money line odds have the Royals at -204 compared to the White Sox at +172. Friday’s over/under line is at 8.5 runs, and the forecast in Kansas City calls for clear skies and temperatures in the low 80s. Michael Wacha is starting for the Royals, and the White Sox are going with Chris Flexen.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX VS KANSAS CITY ROYALS BETTING PICK
The Pick: OVER 8.5 Runs
This game will be played at Kauffman Stadium at 8:10 ET on Friday, July 19th.
HOW TO BET THE WHITE SOX VS ROYALS:
- We have the Royals winning by a score of 5 to 4
- However, if you’re looking for a run line pick, we like the White Sox to cover
- As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the over
White Sox Records & Stats
Chicago is coming off a game in which they wasted several good performances. In their 9-4 loss to Pittsburgh, Andrew Benintendi went 3/4 with a homer and three RBIs. The White Sox also got a good start from Jared Shuster, going 1 2/3 innings, and didn’t give up a run. However, they went on to allow nine runs in the 7th and 8th innings.
Chad Kuhl took the loss out of the bullpen for the White Sox, as Chicago allowed four runs in the top of the 8th. Heading into this game, the White Sox were at +141 on the money line.
Chicago is on the road today, and they are looking to bounce back from four straight losses, and they are just 27-71 this season. The White Sox are 32.5 games out of the AL Central lead, and they are 5th in the division. So far, they have gone just 8-25 in divisional games.
The White Sox have really struggled at home this year, going 17-34. On the road, they are just 10-37. This season, they are only 5-3 as the favorite but have really struggled as the underdog, going 22-68. Chicago’s overall series record is 6-23-2, and they have dropped four straight series.
When it comes to the run line, the White Sox have been a better bet as the underdog than as the favorite, going 39-51 overall. The White Sox are 20-27 against the run line on the road this season, and they have failed to cover in their last two road games. In their wins, the White Sox have an average run margin of +3.0, while in their losses, it’s -3.6.
Chicago White Sox games have averaged 8.2 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 44-50. The average over/under line for their games is 8 runs, but when the line is set at 8.5 runs, the over has hit 12 times and the under has hit 11 times. The White Sox have played 75 games with over/under lines set at 8 runs or fewer, and 20 games with lines set at 8.5 runs or more.
Chris Flexen gets the start for the White Sox today as he faces the Royals on the road. So far this season, he has made 18 starts and six of them have been quality starts. Flexen’s record for the season is 2-8, and he has an ERA of 4.83. In his last outing, Flexen took the loss, giving up two earned runs in six innings of work. Before that, he had gone three straight outings without taking the loss. Flexen’s ERA at home is 5.56, compared to 5.31 on the road.
Chicago comes into today’s game with the league’s worst on-base percentage, OPS, and home runs. Their team batting average of .220 is also 19th in the league. As a team, they are averaging just 3.2 runs per game, which is the worst mark in the MLB. This is a trend that has continued at home and on the road, as they are 30th and 29th in both categories, respectively.
Paul DeJong and Andrew Vaughn are the White Sox’s top home run hitters this season, but both players are batting under .240 for the season. DeJong has gone deep 16 times, while Vaughn has 11 homers. DeJong is also 2nd on the team in RBIs, with 37. Luis Robert Jr. is also near the top of the team’s home run leaderboard, and he is on a three-game hitting streak.
Royals Records & Stats
The Royals will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Red Sox with a 5-4 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 9th inning before the Red Sox scored a run in the bottom of the 9th. Kansas City was the +123 underdog on the money line going into the game.
Brady Singer had a rough outing, giving up four earned runs on eight hits and issuing three walks. The Royals also wasted a big game from Salvador Perez, who homered in the 1st inning, going 2/4.
Kansas City is 52-45 overall, putting them 3rd in the AL Central. Currently, they trail the Guardians by seven games heading into today’s game vs. the White Sox. The Royals dropped the last two games of their series with the Red Sox. So far, they have gone 16-10 in AL Central matchups.
At home, the Royals are 31-18 this year, and they are just under .500 at 21-27 on the road. As the home favorite, the Royals have gone 17-7 this year, and they are 26-15 overall as the favorite. Kansas City is coming into this one having won two straight as the favorite.
The Royals have been a solid bet against the run line this season, going 55-42 overall. They have been especially good at home, where they are 29-20 against the run line. Their average run margin for the season is +0.6, and they have been even better at home, with a +1.1 run differential per game. They have covered the run line in two straight games and are 34-22 against the run line as an underdog.
The Royals are home today against the White Sox, and the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs. This season, Kansas City games have averaged 8.5 runs per game, and their over/under record is 40-54. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, their record is 10-17. The over/under line has been set at 8.5 runs in 29 of their games this season, accounting for 29.9% of their games. Their current under streak is at three games.
Michael Wacha gets the start for the Royals today and will be looking to build off his last outing, where he picked up the win. Against the Cardinals on July 10th, he went 5 innings, giving up 3 earned runs, and 1 homer. Looking back further, Wacha has turned in a quality start in seven of his 16 outings and has a record of 6-6 with a 3.83 ERA. Wacha’s ERA at home is 4.35, compared to 4.11 on the road. Overall, he has been pitching well lately, allowing one earned run in three straight outings.
As a team, the Royals are averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 12th in the league. At home, they are even better, averaging 5.2 runs per game. Overall, they are batting .247, which is 8th in the league, and have the 11th best slugging percentage in the MLB. The Royals are one of the best teams in the league at avoiding strikeouts, but they don’t draw many walks.
Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. have been two of the Royals’ top power threats this season, with Perez leading the team with 17 homers and Witt Jr. right behind him at 16. Witt Jr. has been especially hot of late, going 15/37 in his last nine games, with three homers and seven RBIs. Perez is also on a three-game hitting streak.