San Diego Padres vs Kansas City Royals Betting Pick & Prediction 5/31/24
Light rain could be in the forecast for Friday’s Padres vs. Royals interleague matchup in Kansas City, as temperatures will be in the upper 60s. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs, and the Padres are the slight favorite on the money line (-131).
First pitch from Kauffman Stadium is set for 8:10 PM ET. Michael Wacha is starting for the Royals, and they are 35-23, which has them second in the AL Central. The Padres are 3rd in the NL West with a record of 30-29. Dylan Cease is starting for San Diego.
KANSAS CITY ROYALS VS SAN DIEGO PADRES BETTING PICK
The Pick: Kansas City Royals Moneyline +111
This game will be played at Kauffman Stadium at 8:10 ET on Friday, May 31st.
HOW TO BET THE PADRES VS ROYALS:
- We have the Royals winning by a score of 6 to 5
- If you’re looking for a run line pick, we also like the Royals to cover
- As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 11 runs and like the over
Padres Records & Stats
The Padres will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Marlins with a 9-1 loss. San Diego was the heavy favorite at -184 going into the game but fell behind big early, as the Marlins scored two in the 2nd and added another three in the 3rd. The Padres’s offense scored their only run in the 3rd and finished with eight hits.
Yu Darvish had a rough outing, giving up six earned runs on six hits and issuing three walks. He only lasted three innings, taking the loss. The Padres’s offense was carried by Ha-Seong Kim, who went 1/3 with a homer.
San Diego is on the road today vs. the Royals, with an overall record of 30-29. The Padres are 3rd in the NL West, where they trail the Dodgers by 6.5 games. So far, they have gone just 12-13 in divisional games. The Padres’ overall series record is 11-7-2, and they have won four straight series on the road.
At home, the Padres are 13-19 this year, compared to 17-10 on the road. San Diego has won two straight games on the road, and they are 7-4 this year as the road favorite. Their most recent series saw them take two of three games from the Marlins, and they are 5-5 over their last 10 games overall.
Despite their overall run line record of 31-28, the Padres have been a much better bet on the run line when playing on the road, where they are 21-6. They have covered the run line in two straight road games and have an average run margin of 1.6 runs per game on the road this season.
The Padres are on the road against the Royals today, and the over/under line is set at 8 runs. Both teams have a combined run average of 8.6, and the Padres have a 30-28 over/under record on the season. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, the Padres have a record of 4-6-1. So far this season, 40.7% of their games have had over/under lines set at 8 runs, with 24 games going over and 24 games going under that line.
Dylan Cease will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Yankees, as he gets the start for the Padres today. In that May 25th start, Cease took the loss, giving up four earned runs in 6 2/3 innings of work. Looking at his overall numbers, Cease has made 11 starts and has a record of 5-4. His ERA for the season is 3.29, along with a WHIP of .96. Cease has made six appearances on the road and is 4-0 with a 3.06 ERA in those outings.
San Diego’s offense comes into the game averaging 4.3 runs per game, which is 14th in the league. They have been a better offensive team on the road this season, averaging 5.1 runs per contest. The Padres have the 4th best team batting average in the league at .255 and also have the 6th best on-base percentage in the league.
Jurickson Profar and Jake Cronenworth are both in the top 10 in the league in home runs and have also been two of the Padres’ top run producers. Profar’s 35 RBIs is the best mark on the team and 12th in the majors. Over his last seven games, Donovan Solano is 7/17 with one home run and two RBIs. Luis Arraez has also been hot of late, going 16/38 in his last nine games.
Royals Records & Stats
The Royals will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Twins with a 7-6 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 9th inning before the Twins scored two runs in the bottom of the 9th. Kansas City was the +136 underdog on the road going into this matchup.
Daniel Lynch IV got the start for the Royals and took the loss. He only lasted five innings, giving up two earned runs, and issued three walks. Kansas City’s offense was carried by Vinnie Pasquantino, who went 2/5 with a homer and two RBIs.
Kansas City is 35-23 overall this year, putting them 2nd in the AL Central, three games behind the Guardians for the division lead. The Royals closed out their series vs. the Twins with a loss and went 3-1 in the series. So far, they have gone 12-8 in divisional games.
At home, the Royals are 21-8 this season, and they have gone 14-15 on the road. As the favorite, the Royals are 18-7 this year, and they are 17-16 as the underdog. Currently, the Royals have a seven-game winning streak at home, and they are 9-5 as the home underdog this year. Kansas City’s overall series record is 10-8, and they are 6-4 in their last 10 games overall.
When it comes to the run line, the Royals have been a solid bet this season, going 38-20 overall. They have been especially good at home, going 20-9 against the run line. Their average run differential at home is +2.1 runs per game. They have covered the run line in seven straight games at home and are 3-0 against the run line as an underdog in their last three games.
The Kansas City Royals are playing host to the San Diego Padres today, and the over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs. The Royals have a combined run average of 8.3 runs per game, and their over/under record for the season is 24-32. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, their record is 6-4-1. So far this season, 56.9% of their games have had over/under lines set above 8 runs.
Michael Wacha gets the start for the Royals today as he faces off against the Padres at home. So far this season, he has made 11 starts and has a record of 4-5 with an ERA of 4.31. Wacha’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.26. In his 11 appearances, he has turned in six quality starts. Looking back at his most recent outing, Wacha took the loss, going six innings and giving up two earned runs on three hits. Before that, he had won three straight starts. So far, he has been much better on the road, with an ERA of 4.25 compared to 5.98 at home.
Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. have been two of the Royals’ top hitters this season, with Perez leading the team with a batting average of .320 and Witt Jr. not far behind at .309. Perez’s 10 home runs are 8th in the league, while Witt Jr. is 2nd on the team with nine homers. Witt Jr. has been on a tear of late, going 16/44 in his last 10 games with four homers and 15 RBIs.
Overall, the Royals are 6th in the league in scoring at 4.9 runs per game. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.5 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .251, which is 6th in the league, and are also among the league leaders in slugging percentage and OPS.