The Royals (36-77, 15-41 away) travel to take on the Red Sox (57-54, 30-26 home) in game one of this American League matchup. Cole Ragans is getting the start for the Royals while Brayan Bello is starting for the Red Sox. See who I like to pick up the win in today’s Kansas City Royals vs. Boston Red Sox showdown at Fenway Park.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS VS BOSTON RED SOX BETTING PICK

The Pick: Kansas City Royals +167

This game will be played at Fenway Park at 7:10 ET on Monday, August 7th.

WHY BET THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS:

  • In their last five games, the Royals have a record of 3-2.
  • Coming into the game, the Red Sox have gone just 1-4 in their last five home games.
  • Brayan Bello has struggled of late, coming in with an ERA of 7.12 over his last four starts.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS STRUGGLING VS RUNLINE OF LATE

So far this season, the Royals have a series record of 6-28-2 and overall record of 36-77. This mark has Kansas City placed 5th in the AL Central. On the road, they have a below .500 record of 15-41.

Cole Ragans has made 20 appearances this season, boasting a 3-3 record. On the road, he is 0-2 with an ERA of 1.97, while at home he is 3-1 with an ERA of 2.73. Opposing teams have a .230 batting average and .356 slugging percentage against him this year.

Cole Ragans earned his second win of the season in his last outing, blanking the Mets 4-0. The southpaw allowed seven hits over six innings of work, notching a quality start in the process.

For the season, the Royals’ offense is averaging 3.9 runs per game. Over their last ten games they have swung the bats well, sitting 3rd in the league in scoring, with a total of 57 runs. Overall, Kansas City’s team batting average is .238, putting them 17th in the MLB.

Salvador Perez has posted a batting average of 0.425 and a SLG% of 0.425 this season, making him an important player to watch in the lineup. However, his status is currently listed as questionable for tonight’s game.

WILL THE BOSTON RED SOX TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

Boston’s record of 57-54 has them sitting 5th in the AL East. At home, the Red Sox have won four straight series. Their overall home record is 30-26. Against the runline, the Red Sox are 58-53 along with an over/under record of 57-52.

Brayan Bello has been impressive in his 18 appearances this season, boasting an 8-6 record and a 3.79 ERA. His WHIP of 1.24 is accompanied by a K/BB ratio of 89/28 and a .424 slugging percentage allowed. Opposing batters have only mustered a .247 average against him thus far in 2023.

The Red Sox emerged victorious in the last outing of Brayan Bello, defeating the Mariners 6-4. The right-hander pitched six innings, giving up eight hits and four earned runs to earn his sixth win of the season.

During their last five games, Boston is the 17th ranked offense in terms of batting average. In these games, they have hit a combined .235 and are averaging 3.4 runs per game. Across the entire season, the Red Sox are hitting .263 with an OBP of .329 while averaging 4.9 runs per contest. This figure puts them 8th in the league.

The Red Sox’s offensive leader, Masataka Yoshida, has been swinging a hot bat this season. He currently leads the team in hits with a .306 batting average and boasts an impressive .482 slugging percentage and .365 on-base percentage.