Philadelphia Phillies vs Kansas City Royals Betting Pick & Prediction 8/23/24
The Phillies and Royals are set to square off in an interleague matchup at 8:10 PM ET on Friday. This one is being played at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, and the Phillies are the slight money line favorites, with their odds sitting at +120 compared to the Royals at -142. The over/under line is at 9 runs.
Philadelphia is currently 1st in the NL East with a record of 74-53, while the Royals are 2nd in the AL Central at 71-56. Taijuan Walker will be going for the Phillies, and he is facing off against Michael Wacha for the Royals. BSKC is carrying this one on TV.
KANSAS CITY ROYALS VS PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES BETTING PICK
The Pick: Kansas City Royals Moneyline -142
This game will be played at Kauffman Stadium at 8:10 ET on Friday, August 23rd.
HOW TO BET THE PHILLIES VS ROYALS:
- We have the Royals winning by a score of 6 to 5
- However, if you’re looking for a run line pick, we like the Phillies to cover
- As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 11 runs and like the over
Phillies Records & Stats
The Phillies will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Braves with a 3-2 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 7th inning before the Braves scored a run in the bottom of the 7th to tie things up. Philadelphia was the -101 favorite on the money line going into the game.
Cristopher Sánchez put together a good start for the Phillies, going six innings and giving up just three runs on nine hits. He only had one strikeout in the outing and took the loss. The Phillies also wasted a big game from Luke Williams, who went 2/3 with a run scored.
Philadelphia is leading the NL East by six games over the Braves as they take on the Royals today. The Phillies are 74-53 overall and went 20-14 in divisional games. They will be looking to bounce back today, as they dropped two of three in their series vs. the Braves.
So far, the Phillies have been strong at home, going 42-23, and they are just above .500 on the road at 32-30. As the underdog, the Phillies have gone 11-13 this season, and they are 63-40 when favored. Their overall series record is 21-16-6 this year.
When the Phillies are on the road this season, they have a run line record of 31-31, which includes a 13-11 mark as the underdog. Their average run differential in all games this season is +0.8 runs per game, but that number jumps to +1.4 runs per game when they are at home. In games that they win, their average run differential is +3.9 runs per game, while in losses, it drops to -3.6 runs per game.
The Phillies are on the road against the Royals today with the over/under line set at 9 runs. The combined run average for both teams this season is 8.9 runs per game, and the Phillies’ over/under record for the season is 58-63. When the over/under line is set at 9 runs, their record is 5-12-1. The under has hit in their last three games, and on the season, only 15% of their games have had higher over/under lines than today’s 9-run total.
Taijuan Walker gets the start for the Phillies today as he faces the Royals on the road. So far this season, he has made 12 starts and has a record of 3-4 with an ERA of 5.69. Walker’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.51. Out of his 12 appearances, he has turned in just two quality starts. Walker’s last outing came on August 18th, where he finished with a no-decision, going 4 2/3 innings and giving up three earned runs on three hits. Before that, he had lost three straight starts.
Philadelphia comes into the game as one of the league’s top offensive teams, averaging 4.8 runs per game, which is 8th in the league. They have been even better at home, putting up 5.3 runs per contest. Overall, the Phillies are 5th in team batting average (.256) and have the 6th best on-base percentage in the league. They also have the 8th best slugging percentage in the league.
Over the past five games, Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh have both struggled at the plate, with Stott going 3/16 and Marsh going 2/10. However, Trea Turner has been hot, going 7/23 in his last six games. Alec Bohm comes into the game with a team-high 85 RBIs and is batting .295 for the season.
Royals Records & Stats
To close out their series vs. the Angels, the Royals picked up a 3-0 win. Leading up to the game, they were the heavy favorite at -191. It was a big 2nd inning for the Royals, as they scored two runs, and the Angels could only score a single run. Kansas City’s offense was carried by MJ Melendez, who went 1/4 with a homer.
Michael Lorenzen started for the Athletics, going seven innings and not giving up a run. He also issued just two walks and struck out five Angels batters. The Royals’s bullpen closed things out, and Lucas Erceg picked up the save.
Kansas City is 71-56 overall, putting them 2nd in the AL Central, two games behind the Guardians for the division lead. The Royals went 26-13 in divisional games. They are coming off a series win vs. the Angels and have gone 7-3 across their last 10 games.
At home, the Royals are 40-26 this season, and they have gone 31-30 on the road. So far, they have really thrived as the favorite, going 41-24, and they are 26-15 as the favorite at home. Kansas City’s overall series record is 19-20-2, and they have won two straight series.
The Royals have been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 72-55 overall. They have been especially good at home, going 38-28. Their average run margin for the season is +0.9 runs per game. They have been a better bet on the run line as the underdog, going 38-24 compared to 34-31 as the favorite. The average run margin in their wins is +4.1 runs per game.
Today’s over/under line of 9 runs is slightly higher than the Kansas City Royals’ season average of 8.9 runs per game. The Royals have played 83 games with lower over/under lines than 9 runs, and their over/under record for the season is 57-66. When the over/under line is set at 9 runs, the Royals have a record of 13-12-1. Overall, just 14.2% of their games have had over/under lines set at 9 runs or higher.
Michael Wacha gets the start for the Royals today and will be looking to build off his last outing, where he didn’t give up a run. In that start against the Reds, he went six innings and got the win. Looking back over his last four outings, Wacha has given up two earned runs in three of them. His record for the season is 10-6, and he has an ERA of 3.33. Wacha’s WHIP for the season is 1.21, and opponents are batting .240 off him this year. Overall, he has made 22 starts, 12 of which were quality starts.
Heading into today’s game, the Royals are 7th in the league in runs per game at 4.9. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.2 runs per game. Overall, they are one of the top home run hitting teams in the league, and are also near the top of the league in terms of batting average and slugging percentage. Kansas City is also one of the best teams in the league at avoiding strikeouts.
Over his last 10 games, Bobby Witt Jr. has been on fire, going 16/38 with three homers and eight RBIs. This has helped him move into the team lead with 25 home runs while batting .352 for the season. Vinnie Pasquantino is also having a strong season, as he is 3rd in the league with 95 RBIs and has 18 homers.