Jordan Lyles will get the start for the Royals (54-105, 31-47 home) as they host the Yankees (81-78, 39-39 away) at Kauffman Stadium. The Yankees will give the starting nod to Carlos Rodón. Check out my prediction for game one of this American League matchup between the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals.

NEW YORK YANKEES 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 29th.

WHY BET THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS:

  • In their previous ten games, the Royals are 6-4 vs. the runline.
  • The Royals are on a three game runline winning streak as the home underdog.
  • In Carlos Rodón’s 13 starts, the Yankees have a record of just 3-10.

CAN THE NEW YORK YANKEES PULL OUT A WIN AS ROAD FAVORITES?

Coming into today’s game, the Yankees have won exactly half of their games on the road at 39-39. Their overall record of 81-78 has New York sitting 4th in the AL East. When looking at their overall series record, the Yankees are 22-22-7.

Carlos Rodón has had a challenging season thus far with the Yankees, posting a 3-7 record in 13 appearances. His ERA stands at 5.74, and he has an 8.95 K/9 rate. Additionally, his FIP is 5.49 and opponents have a .306 OBP against him.

The Yankees were defeated 7-1 by the Diamondbacks in Carlos Rodón’s most recent outing. The left-hander was handed the loss after surrendering five runs over 6 1/3 innings.

During their last five games, New York is the 20th ranked offense in terms of batting average. In these games, they have hit a combined .221 and are averaging 3 runs per game. Across the entire season, the Yankees are hitting .226 with an OBP of .303 while averaging 4.2 runs per contest. This figure puts them 23rd in the league.

Aaron Judge has been a key contributor to the Yankees’ offense this season, boasting a .267 batting average and slugging an impressive .617. In the team’s last ten games, Judge has led New York in hits, batting .375 and providing a spark for the lineup.

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

159 games into the season, the Royals have a record of 54-105, putting them 5th in the AL Central. This mark includes an overall series 11-36-4. At home, they are 31-47 compared to 23-58 on the road.

Jordan Lyles has made 30 appearances this season, with a .493 slugging percentage allowed and a WHIP of 1.26. His overall record stands at 5-17, with an ERA of 6.24 and 116 strikeouts, averaging 6.08 K/9 innings. On the road, Lyles has gone 3-9 with an ERA of 8.74, while his home record is 2-8 and an ERA of 5.40.

The Royals earned a victory the last time Jordan Lyles was on the mound, defeating the Astros 3-2. Lyles pitched five innings, giving up only two hits and no earned runs, resulting in a win for his record.

So far this season, the Royals’ has gone deep 157 times, placing them 23rd in the league. Over Kansas City’s previous five games, they are 14th in runs scored, with their season average of 4.1 runs per game putting them 24th in the league. The Royals’ overall team batting average stands at .242 along with an OBP of .301.

Nelson Velázquez has been a bright spot in the Royals’ offense this season, leading the team with 17 home runs over their last five games. His batting average stands at .234, with two of those homers coming in the recent stretch.