Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA
Kansas City Royals vs New York Yankees: ALDS – Game 1
The Kansas City Royals are visiting the New York Yankees today at Yankee Stadium in Game 1 of the ALDS.
The Royals are in a promising form
The Kansas City Royals finished the regular season second in the AL Central with an 86-76 record, including 41-40 on the road. In the Wild Card series, they swept the Baltimore Orioles on the road allowing only one run in two games. 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 211 hits, 125 runs, and 32 home runs.
The Yankees are the best team in the AL
The New York Yankees finished the regular season on top of the AL East with a 94-68 record, including 44-37 at home. The Yankees have a 3.78 ERA, a .232 batting average, a .310 on-base percentage, and 1.25 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Aaron Judge is the best player on the team with 180 hits, 122 runs, and league-high 58 home runs.
Betting Trends
The Yankees are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games overall, 5-1 SU in their last 6 home games against Kansas City and 10-4 SU in their last 14 games against teams from the AL. New York has played over the total run line in 4 of their last 5 games overall and 4 of their last 6 games at home. The Royals are 6-2 SU in their last 8 games overall, 5-15 SU in their last 20 games against the Yankees, and 4-2 SU in their last 6 games against teams from the AL East. Kansas City has played under the total run line in their last 5 games overall, 9 of their last 10 games on the road and 6 of their last 7 games against teams from the AL.
Prediction and Conclusion
The New York Yankees had a week off after the regular season with a chance to prepare for this series. They expected to play the division rival Baltimore Orioles, but the Kansas City Royals played a great series, and here they are still breathing. The Royals are ready for the challenge and will start Michael Wacha, who is 13-8 for the season with a 3.35 ERA, 145 K, 166.2 IP, and 1.19 WHIP. The Yankees will also go with a veteran pitcher. Gerrit Cole is 8-5 for the season, with a 3.41 ERA, 99 K, 166.2 IP, and 1.19 WHIP. The Yankees are definitely the favorites in any given game, but the Royals are great defensively. They allowed only one run in two games against the Orioles, and this will be another tight game, so we go with under 7.5 total runs.
