The Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees meet Saturday as they swing into their best-of-5 ALDS. Game 1 at Yankee Stadium is slated for a 6:38 p.m. ET (TBS/Max) 1st pitch. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s MLB odds around the Royals vs. Yankees odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Regular-season series: New York won 5-2
Kansas City made the postseason field as a Wild Card, and the Royals advanced to the ALDS by sweeping 2 low-scoring Games from the Baltimore Orioles in Wild Card Series play. Despite scoring just 2.38 runs per Game along the way, Kansas City has gone 6-2 over its last 8 Games.
The Yankees have been idle since closing out the regular season Sunday. New York had a solid enough final stretch in September — the Yanks went 14-8 after Sept. 6. In the regular season, they outscored Kansas City 42-24 over 7 meetings.
Royals at Yankees projected starters
RHP Michael Wacha vs. RHP Gerrit Cole
Wacha (13-8, 3.35 ERA) made 29 starts in the regular season. He registered a 1.19 WHIP, 2.4 BB/9 and 7.8 K/9 in 166 2/3 IP.
- Last outing: No-decision, 5 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 2 K in 7-4 win at Washington Nationals Sept. 26
- Career vs. Yankees: 2-1, 2.97 ERA (57.2 IP, 19 ER), 1.01 WHIP, 9.4 K/9 in 11 appearances (9 starts)
- Last threw in postseason in 2021 (2 2/3 IP); owns 5.21 ERA across 38 career postseason innings
Cole (8-5, 3.41 ERA) made 17 starts in the regular season. He authored a 1.13 WHIP, 2.8 BB/9 and 9.4 K/9 across 95 IP.
- Last outing: Win, 6 2/3 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 5 K in 10-1 home victory vs. Baltimore Orioles Sept. 26
- Career vs. Royals: 4-1, 2.77 ERA (52 IP, 16 ER), 0.86 WHIP, 9.0 K/9 in 8 starts
- Owns 2.93 ERA in 104 1/3 career playoff innings
Royals at Yankees odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of MLB odds. Lines last updated at 10:45 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Royals +170 (bet $100 to win $170) | Yankees -210 (bet $210 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Royals +1.5 (-130) | Yankees -1.5 (+110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 7.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
Royals at Yankees picks and predictions
Prediction
Yankees 5, Royals 2
Moneyline
New York (-210) took 2 of 3 from K.C. in a Yankee Stadium series last month (Sept. 9-11), and the Yankees are 6-3 across the last 9 series meetings.
The Yanks are a lean here, but there’s a better play on the run line: PASS.
Run line/Against the spread
New York’s regular-season run differential vs. Kansas City plays into a lean here. So does Cole’s line against current hitters. Per ESPN, the Yankee hurler has held Kansas City to an aggregate .559 OPS with a hefty strikeout rate.
Wacha logged some generous rates around the margins in posting his regular-season ERA, and his expected ERA numbers are not as tidy as Cole’s.
BACK THE YANKEES -1.5 (+110).
Over/Under
The Under is 3-1 across the last 4 meetings.
Both starters have fared well in long-rest situations in their careers. With rested bullpen arms and perhaps rusty bats getting back in the groove after some off days, the pitching should be tabbed ahead of the hitting in this spot.
TAKE THE UNDER 7.5 (-105).
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