Kansas City Royals vs Cincinnati Reds Betting Pick & Prediction 8/16/24
At 6:40 PM ET, the Reds and Royals will square off in an interleague matchup. This one is being played at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, and the Reds are favored on the money line, with their odds sitting at -141. The money line odds for a Royals win are at +120, and the over/under line is 9.5 runs.
Kansas City is 66-55 this season, while the Reds come in with a record of 60-61. Michael Lorenzen is starting for the Royals, and he is facing off against Nick Martinez. Cincinnati has won four straight games and is currently 3rd in the NL Central, while the Royals are 3rd in the AL Central.
CINCINNATI REDS VS KANSAS CITY ROYALS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Cincinnati Reds Moneyline -141
This game will be played at Great American Ball Park at 6:40 ET on Friday, August 16th.
HOW TO BET THE ROYALS VS REDS:
- We have the Reds winning by a score of 6 to 5
- However, if you’re looking for a run line pick, we like the Royals to cover
- As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 11 runs and like the over
Royals Records & Stats
To close out their series vs. the Twins, the Royals picked up a 4-1 win. Leading up to the game, they were the slight favorite at -113 on the money line. It was a big 2nd inning that really turned things in their favor, and the Twins could only score one run, which came in the 4th.
Cole Ragans put together a good start for the Royals, going seven innings and giving up just one earned run, and picking up the win. He also issued only one walk and struck out eight Twins batters. Paul DeJong was hot at the plate, going 3/3 with a homer and two RBIs.
Kansas City is 66-55 overall, putting them 3rd in the AL Central, six games behind the Guardians for the division lead. So far, they have been good against other teams in the division, going 26-13. The Royals are just under .500 on the road at 28-30.
The Royals lost the series to the Twins, dropping two of three games. Heading into today’s game, they are 4-6 across their last 10. As the road underdog, Kansas City has gone 13-21 this year, and they are 39-23 as the favorite.
When betting the run line on the Kansas City Royals, it’s important to note that their overall run line record is 67-54, and their average run margin is +0.7 runs per game. The Royals have been a better run line bet on the road (31-27) than at home (36-27), and they have been a better run line bet as an underdog (35-24) than as a favorite (32-30). Their average run margin in winning games is +3.9 runs per game, while their average run margin in losing games is -3.2 runs per game.
Today, the Kansas City Royals are on the road facing the Cincinnati Reds. The over/under line for the game is set at 9.5 runs, which is higher than their combined run average of 8.8 runs per game. The Royals have an over/under record of 55-63 on the season, and their games have averaged an over/under line of 8 runs. When the line has been set at 9.5 runs, their record is 5-5. This season, only 5% of their games have had over/under lines set at 9.5 runs or higher.
Michael Lorenzen gets the start for the Royals today as he faces his former team, the Reds. So far this season, he has made 20 starts and eight of them have been quality starts. Lorenzen’s ERA for the season is 3.79, and his record is 5-6. Looking back at his last outing, Lorenzen finished with a no-decision after giving up three earned runs in 4 1/3 innings of work. He has finished with a no-decision in each of his last three outings. Opponents are batting .225 off Lorenzen this season, and his ERA on the road is 7.48 compared to 3.6 at home.
So far, the Royals offense has been a top-10 unit in terms of scoring, averaging 4.8 runs per game. They have been even better at home, putting up 5.3 runs per contest. As a team, the Royals are batting .254, which is the 7th best mark in the league. One thing to watch is that the team’s collective on-base percentage is just 28th in the league.
Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. have been the team’s top power threats this season, with 22 and 24 home runs, respectively. Witt Jr. has been especially hot of late, going 14/36 (.389) with four homers over his last nine games. He also has eight runs and 10 RBIs during this stretch. Witt Jr. also comes into the game on a four-game hitting streak.
Reds Records & Stats
The Reds’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Cardinals, closing out their series with a 9-2 win. After allowing one run to the Cardinals in the top of the first, the Reds responded with four runs of their own. Cincinnati went on to add another four runs in the 3rd inning.
Starting for the Reds was Emilio Pagan, who picked up the win and didn’t give up a run. He only lasted two innings, though, as Cincinnati’s offense scored four runs in the 3rd to put things out of reach. Jonathan India went 3/5 with two homers, and TJ Friedl was 2/4 with two homers.
Cincinnati will host the Royals today with an overall record of 60-61, and they are nine games behind the Brewers for the NL Central lead. The Reds are also tied with the Cardinals for 2nd place in the division. The Reds head into today’s game on a four-game winning streak, and they closed out their series vs. the Cardinals with three straight wins.
At home, the Reds are 31-31 this season and 29-30 on the road. As the favorite, the Reds are 31-26 and 29-35 as the underdog. Cincinnati has won two straight games as the favorite. So far, their overall series record is 15-21-3.
The Reds have been a good team to bet on the run line this season, as they are 66-55 overall. They have been even better on the road, going 37-22. They have won three straight games on the run line at home, but overall they are just 29-33. They have been a better bet as an underdog, going 40-24 on the run line. The average run margin in their wins is +3.8, while it is -2.9 in their losses.
Today’s over/under line for the Cincinnati Reds’ game against the Kansas City Royals is set at 9.5 runs. The Reds have had a combined run average of 8.5 runs in their games this season. Their over/under record for the season is 55-62, and the average over/under line for their games is set at 9 runs. When the over/under line is set at 9.5 runs, the Reds have a record of 18-9 in those games. This season, only 4.1% of their games have had over/under lines set at 9.5 runs, with a majority of their games (73.6%) having lower lines.
Cincinnati is sending Nick Martinez to the mound today vs. the Royals, and he has made 33 appearances this year, including seven starts. Martinez’s ERA for the season is 3.17, along with a record of 6-5. In his 91 innings of work, he has allowed just seven homers and is averaging 0.99 walks per nine innings. The right-hander’s last outing came on August 10th vs. the Brewers, where he went seven innings, giving up no earned runs and coming away with a no-decision. Before that, he had won two straight outings.
Elly De La Cruz has been a consistent hitter for the Reds this season, batting .263, and he is also 4th on the team with an on-base percentage of .346. De La Cruz’s 21 homers are 15th in the league and the top mark on the team. Spencer Steer has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 9/22 in his last seven games with three homers. For the season, he is batting just .236, but his 18 homers are 3rd on the team.
Overall, the Reds are 9th in the league in team home runs and are averaging 4.5 runs per game. This is also where they have been at home and on the road. As a team, they are batting just .230, which is 20th in the MLB.