Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

Kansas City Royals vs Pittsburgh Pirates: Two teams with completely different seasons

The Kansas City Royals are visiting the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight at PNC Park.

The Royals are targeting the top seed in the division

The Kansas City Royals are second in the AL Central with an 81-67 record, including 36-37 on the road. They have won 3 of the last 5 games including the series opener in Pittsburgh. Kansas City has a 3.87 ERA, a .242 batting average, a .309 on-base percentage, and 1.25 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Bobby Witt Jr. is the best player on the team with 196 hits, 120 runs, and 30 home runs.

Another disappointing season for the Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates are at the bottom of the NL Central with a 70-77 record including 37-39 at home. After winning four consecutive games, they lost the opener against the Royals. The Pirates have a 4.14 ERA, a .249 batting average, a .320 on-base percentage, and 1.31 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Bryan Reynolds leads the team with 160 hits, 70 runs, and 22 home runs.

Betting Trends

The Pirates are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games overall, 7-2 SU in their last 9 home games against the Royals and 1-4 SU in their last 5 games against teams from the AL. Pittsburgh has played over the total run line in 6 of their last 9 games overall, 5 of their last 7 games against Kansas City and 15 of their last 20 home games. The Royals are 6-2 SU in their last 8 games overall and 2-7 SU in their last 9 games on the road. Kansas City has played over the total run line in 4 of their last 6 games against teams from the NL and 10 of their last 13 games against teams from the NL Central while have stayed under in 6 of their last 8 games overall.

Prediction and Conclusion

The Kansas City Royals have a promising season with the playoffs within reach, and they can even win the NL Central as they are only three games behind the Cleveland Guardians. Unlike them, the Pirates are at the bottom of their division with no chance of saving the season. The Royals were pretty dominant last night, winning the series opener by 8-3. They will try to build on that by going with Michael Wacha on the mound, who is 12-7 for the season with a 3.34 ERA, 130 K, 151 IP, and 1.19 WHIP. The Pirates will start Mitch Keller, who is 11-9 for the season with a 3.85 ERA, 153 K, 163.2 IP, and 1.26 WHIP. Both pitchers are quite good this season, but the momentum is on the Royals side, who will win the second straight in the series.