Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

Boston Red Sox vs Kansas City Royals: Both teams need this series

The Boston Red Sox are visiting the Kansas City Royals today at Kauffman Stadium.

The Red Sox are catching up in the AL East

The Boston Red Sox are third in the AL East with a 59-51 record including 32-23 on the road. They have won 3 of the last 4 games and are coming off a 7-2 win over the Texas Rangers. Boston has a 3.99 ERA, a .243 batting average, a .306 on-base percentage, and 1.25 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Jarren Duran is the best player on the team 138 hits, 78 runs while Rafael Devers leads the team with 25 home runs.

The Royals are in good form

The Kansas City Royals are third in the AL Central with a 63-50 record, including 36-22 at home. They have won 6 of their last 7 games and are coming off a 3-2 win over the Detroit Tigers. Kansas City has a 3.76 ERA, a .238 batting average, a .307 on-base percentage, and 1.25 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Bobby Witt Jr. is the best player on the team with 155 hits, 94 runs, and 20 home runs.

Betting Trends

The Royals are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games overall, 1-4 SU in their last 5 home games and 9-1 SU in their last 10 games against teams from the AL. Kansas City has played over the total run line in 6 of their last 9 games overall and 6 of their last 8 home games against Boston while they have stayed under in 6 of their last 7 games against teams from the AL. The Red Sox are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games overall, 4-1 SU in their last 5 games against Kansas City, 2-5 SU in their last 7 games played in August and 5-2 SU in their last 7 road games played on Monday.

Prediction and Conclusion

Both teams are in the middle of the standings in their respective divisions and are only a couple of wins away from getting into a situation that may lead them to the postseason. The Red Sox will start the series with veteran James Paxton on the mound, who is 8-3 for the season with a 4.52 ERA, 69 K, 93.2 IP, and 1.46 WHIP. The Royals will go with Brady Singer, who is 8-6 for the season with a 2.88 ERA, 115 K, 125 IP, and 1.16 WHIP. The Royals are one of the best home teams in the entire league but have lost the last two to the Red Sox and the last two home games against them. Given that, we are going with the Red Sox to win the series opener.