Kansas City Royals vs Cincinnati Reds Betting Pick & Prediction 8/18/24
The Reds and Royals will face off in an interleague matchup at 1:40 PM ET at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. The Reds are 60-63 and they will be looking to end a two-game losing streak, while the Royals are 68-55 and they are 3rd in the AL Central.
Kansas City is currently favored on the money line, and the over/under line is at 9.5 runs. MLBN will be televising Sunday’s matchup. Brady Singer will be starting for the Royals, while the Reds are sending Andrew Abbott to the mound.
CINCINNATI REDS VS KANSAS CITY ROYALS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Cincinnati Reds Moneyline -108
This game will be played at Great American Ball Park at 1:40 ET on Sunday, August 18th.
HOW TO BET THE ROYALS VS REDS:
- We have the Reds winning by a score of 5 to 4
- If you’re looking for a run line pick, we also like the Reds to cover
- As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the under
Thanks to a seven-run 3rd inning for the Royals’ offense, they cruised to a 13-1 win over the Reds in the most recent game of this series. Heading into the game, the Royals were at +107 on the money line.
The starting pitching matchup for this game featured Michael Wacha for the Royals, and he went just six innings but didn’t give up a run and picked up a win. Nick Lodolo got the start for the Reds and gave up eight runs in just 2 1/3 innings of work.
Kansas City got a huge performance from Dairon Blanco, as he went 3/5 with two homers and seven RBIs. Both Vinnie Pasquantino and Maikel Garcia each drove in two for the Royals’ offense.
Royals Records & Stats
The Royals are on a three-game winning streak, and they are 68-55 overall this season. In the AL Central, they are four games behind the Guardians for the division lead. So far, they have been good against other teams in the AL Central, putting up a record of 26-13.
At home, the Royals have gone 38-25 this season, and they are an even 30-30 on the road. Kansas City has been the favorite in 62 of their games, going 39-23 in those matchups. As for their games as the underdog, they are 29-32 this season. The Royals have an overall series record of 17-20-2 this season.
When the Royals are on the road, they have been a good bet to cover the run line, as they have a 33-27 record. Their average run margin in those games is +0.6, and they have covered the run line in three straight games. They have been a better bet to cover the run line when they are the underdog, as they are 37-24 in those games.
The Royals are on the road today against the Reds, with the over/under line set at 9.5 runs. This season, their games have averaged 8.9 runs per game, and their over/under record is 56-64. The average over/under line in their games is 8 runs, and when the line is set at 9.5 runs, they have a record of 6-6. Only 4.9% of their games this season have had over/under lines set at 9.5 runs or higher.
Through 24 starts, Brady Singer has a record of 8-8 and an ERA of 3.32. Coming into the game, he has a WHIP of 1.22 and has issued just 2.59 walks per nine innings. Singer’s last outing was a rough one, as he took the loss and gave up six earned runs in five innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts. Singer’s ERA on the road is 5.0 compared to 2.64 at home. So far, he has made 10 quality starts and is averaging 8.62 strikeouts per nine innings.
The Royals offense has been one of the league’s best this season, averaging 4.9 runs per game (8th) and batting a collective .256, which is the 5th best mark in the MLB. They have also been one of the league’s toughest lineups to strike out, as they are 2nd in the league in fewest strikeouts per game. At home, they are averaging 5.3 runs per game, which is the 3rd best mark in the league.
Over his last 10 games, Bobby Witt Jr. has been on fire, going 16/39 with five homers and 11 RBIs. For the season, he is batting .351 with a team-high 25 homers and 90 RBIs. Salvador Perez is also having a strong season at the plate, hitting .279 with 22 homers and 81 RBIs.
Reds Records & Stats
Cincinnati is 60-63 overall, and they are 11 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. The Reds have gone 18-17 against other teams in the division. They have dropped two straight games and are looking to avoid losing this series vs. the Royals.
At home, the Reds are 31-33 this year and 29-30 on the road. As the underdog, the Reds have won three straight games, and they are 29-35 as the underdog overall. Cincinnati’s record as the favorite is 31-28, and their overall series record is 15-21-3.
When betting the run line on the Cincinnati Reds, it’s been more profitable to back them on the road this season. The Reds are 37-22 against the run line away from home, compared to just 29-35 at home. They’ve been a better bet as the underdog, going 40-24 against the run line in those games. Their average run margin in winning games is 3.8, while it’s -3.1 in losses.
When the Cincinnati Reds play at home, the over/under line is set at 9.5 runs, and their games have averaged 8.6 runs per game this season. Overall, the Reds have a 56-63 over/under record, and their games have had an average line of 9 runs. When the line has been set at 9.5 runs, the over has hit in 19 of their 29 games, and only 4.1% of their games have had higher lines this season.
Cincinnati is sending Andrew Abbott to the mound today vs. the Royals, and he will be looking to build off his last outing, where he picked up the win. In that start vs. the Cardinals, Abbott went 6 2/3 innings, giving up just one earned run. Looking back over his last four outings, he has given up two earned runs or fewer in three of them. Abbott’s overall record is 10-9, and he has an ERA of 3.59 to go along with a WHIP of 1.29. Opposing batters are hitting .229 off the left-hander this season. For the year, he has made nine quality starts and is averaging 7.44 strikeouts per nine innings.
Elly De La Cruz comes into the game as the Reds’ leader in home runs, and his 52 RBIs are 3rd on the team. De La Cruz is batting .261 for the season and has an OBP of .343. Spencer Steer and Jeimer Candelario are also near the top of the Reds’ home run list, but both players have struggled with their batting averages, with Steer hitting .233 and Candelario at .226.
Over his last six games, Tyler Stephenson has gone 7/23 with two homers, and Jonathan India and Jeimer Candelario have also each hit two homers in their last five games. Candelario is just 3/19 in this stretch, while India is batting .278. Steer has also gone deep twice in his last six games, going 4/16 in this stretch.