The Chicago Cubs (49-55) and Kansas City Royals (50-45) begin a 3-game series Friday at Kauffman Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Cubs vs. Royals odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: First matchup; Cubs won the 2023 series 2-1
The Cubs, who will likely be sellers at the trade deadline, lost their 2nd straight game to the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday 3-2. Chicago is 4-6 in its last 10 games.
The Royals won the 1st game against the Arizona Diamondbacks before dropping the next 2, including 8-6 on Wednesday. Kansas City has won 6 of its last 10 games.
Cubs at Royals projected starters
RHP Kyle Hendricks vs. RHP Brady Singer
Hendricks (2-8, 6.69 ERA) makes his 14th start and 19th appearance. He has a 1.48 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9 and 6.2 K/9 in 75 1/3 IP.
- Last start: Loss, 5 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 2 K in 3-0 loss against Arizona Saturday
- 2024 road splits: 1-4, 7.08 ERA (40 2/3 IP, 32 ER), 1.42 WHIP, 5.1 K/9 in 9 appearances (7 starts).
- Career vs. Royals: 2-0, 1.40 ERA (19 1/3 IP, 3 ER), 0.87 WHIP, 7.0 K/9 in 3 starts
Singer (6-6, 3.00 ERA) makes his 21st start. He has a 1.21 WHIP, 2.8 BB/9 and 8.6 K/9 in 111 IP.
- Last start: Win, 7 IP, 0 R, 5 H, 2 BB, 7 K in 6-1 home win against Chicago White Sox Saturday
- 2024 home splits: 5-3, 2.43 ERA (66 2/3 IP, 18 ER), 1.00 WHIP, 8.9 K/9 in 11 starts
- Career vs. Cubs: 0-2, 8.31 ERA (8 2/3 IP, 8 ER), 2.07 WHIP, 11.4 K/9 in 2 starts
Who’s going yard? Here’s a breakdown of today’s best home run props with our top picks. Include the BetMGM bonus code SBWIRE to score a $1,500 first-bet offer.
Cubs at Royals odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:06 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Cubs +125 (bet $100 to win $125) | Royals -155 (bet $155 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Cubs +1.5 (-155) | Royals -1.5 (+125)
- Over/Under (O/U): 9 (O: -120 | U: +100)
Cubs at Royals picks and predictions
Prediction
Royals 5, Cubs 2
Moneyline
The Cubs are a bottom-6 team on the road this year, posting a 22-30 record. The Royals, on the other hand, are 31-17 as a favorite. But at the current odds I will PASS here and look to the spread.
Run line/Against the spread
Kansas City has the 2nd-highest record ATS as a home favorite. They are 18-13 (58.1%) and 1 of 4 teams with a higher than 50% hit rate.
Also, the Royals are 8-4 ATS after a day of rest.
BET ROYALS -1.5 (+125).
Over/Under
Hendricks has been struggling all year. His 7.08 ERA makes the Over enticing, however both teams are trending to the Under.
After a loss, both teams have a top 5 Under record. The Cubs are 31-20-3 (60.8%), while the Royals are even better at 31-15 (67.4%).
LEAN UNDER 9 (+100).
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