The Red Sox (69-65, 33-32 away) travel to take on the Royals (41-94, 23-43 home) in game one of this American League matchup. James Paxton is getting the start for the Red Sox while Jordan Lyles is starting for the Royals. See who I like to pick up the win in today’s Boston Red Sox vs. Kansas City Royals showdown at Kauffman Stadium.

BOSTON RED SOX VS KANSAS CITY ROYALS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Kansas City Royals +1.5 Runs

This game will be played at Kauffman Stadium at 8:10 ET on Friday, September 1st.

WHY BET THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS:

  • The Red Sox have gone just 3-7 in their last ten games vs. the runline.
  • In their ten most recent games as the favorite, the Red Sox have gone just 4-6 against the runline.
  • James Paxton has struggled of late, coming in with an ERA of 6.20 over his last four starts.

BOSTON RED SOX LOOK TO CONTINUE WINNING WAYS ON THE ROAD

Entering with a record of 69-65, the Red Sox are in 4th place in the AL East and are losers of four straight games. So far, they have a road win percentage of 50.8% compared to 52.2% at home. Boston’s overall series record stands at 22-17-4.

James Paxton has a 7-4 record and 3.99 ERA heading into the game. On the road, he has an ERA of 6.19 and record of 4-3, while at home he is 3-1 with an ERA of 3.36. His season-long WHIP stands at 1.26, with a batting average allowed of .239 and teams facing him have a slugging percentage of .424.

James Paxton was unable to secure the win in his last outing against the Dodgers, as he allowed four runs and four hits. Despite this, the Red Sox were able to come away with a 8-5 victory.

The Red Sox have been one of the top power lineups in the league of late, having hit 16 home runs over their last ten games. Compared to other clubs, this is 6th best in that span. For the season, they are ranked 13th in home runs and 6th in slugging percentage. Overall, Boston is averaging 5 runs per game (7th).

Adam Duvall has been a major contributor to the Red Sox’s offensive success this season, hitting 18 home runs and maintaining a .276 batting average. Over their last five games, he has been especially impressive, leading the team with three home runs.

WILL THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

135 games into the season, the Royals have a record of 41-94, putting them 5th in the AL Central. This mark includes an overall series 6-34-3. At home, they are 23-43 compared to 18-51 on the road.

Jordan Lyles has had a difficult season thus far for the Royals, with a record of 3-15 in 25 appearances. His ERA stands at 6.51, while his K/9 is 6.13 and his FIP is 5.82. Additionally, Lyles’ opponents have an OBP of .304 against him.

The Royals were unable to overcome the Mariners, as they fell 15-2 in Jordan Lyles’ last start. The right-hander was unable to make it through the outing, surrendering seven earned runs on six hits.

With a season-long average of 3.9 runs per game, the Royals are the 26th ranked scoring offense this season. As a team, they are batting .240, with an OBP of .297. In Kansas City’s last ten games, they are 12th in home runs, having gone deep two times in that span.

The Royals’ offensive leader, Bobby Witt Jr., has been a consistent presence in the batting order this season. His .276 batting average is the highest on the team, and his .501 slugging percentage and .317 on-base percentage are also impressive figures.