On Friday, the Chicago White Sox (27-71) are visiting the Kansas City Royals (52-45), at 8:10 PM ET. The White Sox have lost four straight, and the Royals have dropped two straight.
The favored Royals (-200 on the moneyline to win) play at home against the White Sox (+165). The Kansas City Royals will give the start to Michael Wacha (6-6, 3.83 ERA), who is looking for win No. 7 on the season, and the White Sox will turn to Chris Flexen (2-8, 4.82 ERA).
The Royals lost 5-4 against the Red Sox Friday, with Brady Singer getting credited with the loss. He threw 2 2/3 innings, giving up four earned runs on eight hits while striking out three. Adam Frazier went 1-for-3 with a home run and an RBI to lead the Royals offensively.
The White Sox were handed a 9-4 loss to the Pirates Friday. Andrew Benintendi (3-for-4 with a home run and an RBI) led the way offensively, while Chad Kuhl took the loss on the mound after going four innings, giving up four earned runs on six hits while striking out four.
Ahead of watching this Royals vs. White Sox matchup, here’s what you need to know about Friday’s action on the diamond, including viewing options.
Kansas City Royals vs. Chicago White Sox odds and betting lines
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Thursday at 9:16 AM ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.
- Favorite: Royals (-200, bet $200 to win $100)
- Underdog: White Sox (+165, bet $100 to win $165)
- Over/under: 8.5
Royals vs. White Sox: Live streaming info & game time
- Game Day: Friday, July 19, 2024
- Game Time: 8:10 PM ET
- Stadium: Kauffman Stadium
- TV Channel: Bally Sports
- Live Stream: Fubo (Watch for free)
Royals stats and trends
Royals betting records
- The Royals have won 24, or 66.7%, of the 36 games they’ve played as favorites this season.
- Kansas City is undefeated in four games this season when favored by -200 or more on the moneyline.
- Sportsbooks have implied with the moneyline set for this matchup that the Royals have a 66.7% chance to win.
- Kansas City and its opponents have gone over the total this season in 40 of 97 opportunities.
- The Royals are 54-43-0 against the spread this season.
Michael Wacha (Royals probable starter)
- Wacha (6-6 with a 3.83 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 89 1/3 innings pitched) gets the start for the Royals, his 17th of the season.
- In his last time out on Wednesday, July 10, the righty threw five innings against the St. Louis Cardinals, allowing three earned runs while surrendering seven hits.
- In 16 games this season, the 33-year-old has an ERA of 3.83, with 7.9 strikeouts per nine innings. Opponents are batting .248 against him.
- Wacha is looking to pick up his eighth quality start of the year.
- Wacha will aim to last five or more innings for his 10th straight start. He’s averaging 5.6 innings per outing.
- He has had one appearance this season in which he did not surrender an earned run.
- The opposing White Sox offense has the worst slugging percentage (.347) and is 28th in MLB play with 85 home runs. It has a collective .220 batting average, and is 29th in MLB with 713 total hits and last in MLB action scoring 313 runs.
- Wacha has thrown 13 innings, giving up two earned runs on six hits while striking out 12 against the White Sox this season.
Royals batting stats
- The Royals rank 17th in Major League Baseball with 101 home runs.
- The offense for Kansas City has a slugging percentage of .405 this season, 11th in MLB.
- The Royals’ .247 batting average ranks 11th in the league this season.
- Kansas City has scored the 13th-most runs in the majors this season with 442 (4.6 per game).
- The Royals have an on-base percentage of .305 this season, which ranks 21st in the league.
- Kansas City has shown patience at the plate this season with the second-best rate of strikeouts per game (6.8) among MLB offenses.
White Sox stats and trends
White Sox betting records
- The White Sox have won in 23, or 25.3%, of the 91 contests they have been named as odds-on underdogs this year.
- This season, Chicago has come away with a win six times in 38 chances when named as an underdog of at least +165 or worse on the moneyline.
- The White Sox have an implied victory probability of 37.7% according to the moneyline set by oddsmakers for this matchup.
- Chicago and its opponents have hit the over in 44 of its 98 games with a total set by oddsmakers this season.
- The White Sox are 43-54-0 against the spread in their 97 games that had a posted line this season.
Chris Flexen (White Sox probable starter)
- The White Sox will send Flexen (2-8) to the mound for his 19th start of the season. He is 2-8 with a 4.82 ERA and 71 strikeouts through 97 2/3 innings pitched.
- His last appearance was on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, when the righty tossed six innings, surrendering two earned runs while allowing five hits.
- In 20 games this season, the 30-year-old has amassed an ERA of 4.82, with 6.6 strikeouts per nine innings. Opponents are hitting .259 against him.
- Flexen is trying to record his fourth straight quality start in this matchup.
- Flexen is seeking his sixth straight appearance lasting five or more innings. He averages 4.9 innings per start.
- He has held his opponents without an earned run in two of his 20 outings this season.
- He will match up with a Royals offense that ranks 15th in the league with 794 total hits (on a .247 batting average). The team also slugs a collective .405 (11th in the league) with 101 total home runs (17th in MLB action).
- Head-to-head against the Royals this season, Flexen has thrown 6 1/3 innings, giving up three earned runs on six hits while striking out four.
White Sox batting stats
- The White Sox have hit the third-fewest home runs in MLB action this season (85).
- This season, Chicago is slugging .347, the lowest percentage in the majors.
- The White Sox have the second-worst batting average in the majors (.220).
- Chicago scores the fewest runs in baseball (313 total, 3.2 per game).
- The White Sox are last in MLB with a .282 on-base percentage.
