Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

Kansas City Royals vs Atlanta Braves: Both teams have a chance for the playoffs

The Kansas City Royals are visiting the Atlanta Braves tonight at Truist Park.

The Royals are almost there

The Kansas City Royals are second in the AL Central with an 85-74 record, including 40-38 on the road. After losing seven consecutive games, they swept the three-game series against the Washington Nationals. Kansas City has a 3.80 ERA, a .240 batting average, a .308 on-base percentage, and 1.25 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Bobby Witt Jr. is the best player on the team with 209 hits, 124 runs, and 32 home runs.

The Braves have no room for a mistake

The Atlanta Braves are third in the NL East with an 86-71 record including 43-33 at home. They have won 5 of the last 6 games and are coming off a 5-1 win over the New York Mets. The Braves have a 3.51 ERA, a .236 batting average, a .302 on-base percentage, and 1.21 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Marcell Ozuna is the best player on the team, with 182 hits, 95 runs, and 39 home runs.

Betting Trends

The Braves are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games overall, 7-1 SU in their last 8 games against teams form the AL and 7-1 SU in their last 8 games against teams form the AL Central. Atlanta has played over the total run line in 4 of their last 5 games against the Royals and 6 of their last 9 home games against them while has stayed under un 14 of their last 18 home games. The Royals are 3-7 SU in their last 10 games overall, 1-4 SU in their last 5 games against the Braves, 5-2 SU in their last 7 games against teams from the NL East and 8-3 SU in their last 11 games played on Friday. Kansas City has played under the total run line in 6 of their last 8 games overall and has played under in 4 of their last 5 games on the road.

Prediction and Conclusion

Both the Royals and the Braves are heading to the last couple of series from the regular season with playoff hopes. The Royals are in a much better position since they have 97.3% chance to get there, while the Braves are at 61.3%. Both teams have picked up their form lately and are coming with active winning streaks. The Royals will start Brady Singer, who is 9-12 for the season with a 3.73 ERA, 165 K, 173.2 IP, and 1.28 WHIP. The Braves will have Max Fried on the mound, who is 10-10 for the season with a 3.42 ERA, 157 K, 165.2 IP, and 1.20 WHIP. The Braves won the last four games against the Royals, including the three-game sweep last season in Kansas City. None of their last five head-to-head games has finished under the total run line, but given the stakes for tonight’s game, we go with the under even though the line is set at 7.5.