At Nationals Park on Thursday, the Kansas City Royals play the Washington Nationals (three consecutive losses) at 1:05 p.m. ET.

The Royals are the road favorite (-173) versus the Nationals (+144). The Royals will give the ball to Michael Wacha (13-8) against the Nationals and Patrick Corbin (6-13).

Yesterday, the Royals picked up a 3-0 win over the Nationals, with Daniel Lynch (2.2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 2 K) registering the win for the Royals. Yuli Gurriel finished 1-for-3 with a double to lead the offensive showing. DJ Herz (5.0 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 3 K) was credited with the loss for the Nationals.

Before watching this Royals vs. Nationals matchup, here’s everything you need to know about Thursday’s action on the diamond, including viewing options.

Kansas City Royals vs. Washington Nationals odds and betting lines

MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Thursday at 9:16 a.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.

  • Favorite: Royals (-173, bet $173 to win $100)
  • Underdog: Nationals (+144, bet $100 to win $144)
  • Over/under: 8

Royals vs. Nationals: Live streaming info & game time

  • Game Day: Thursday, September 26, 2024
  • Game Time: 1:05 p.m. ET
  • Stadium: Nationals Park
  • TV Channel: Bally Sports
  • Live Stream: Fubo (Watch for free)

Royals stats and trends

Royals betting records

  • This season, the Royals have been favored 76 times and won 48, or 63.2%, of those games.
  • Kansas City has entered 26 games this season favored by -173 or more and is 19-7 in those contests.
  • Oddsmakers have implied with the moneyline set for this matchup that the Royals have a 63.4% chance to win.
  • Kansas City and its opponents have hit the over in 68 of its 158 games with a total this season.
  • The Royals have an ATS record of 84-74-0 in 158 games with a spread this season.

Michael Wacha (Royals probable starter)

  • Wacha (13-8 with a 3.28 ERA and 143 strikeouts in 161 2/3 innings pitched) gets the start for the Royals, his 29th of the season.
  • In his most recent time out on Saturday against the San Francisco Giants, the righty went 5 2/3 innings, giving up two earned runs while surrendering six hits.
  • The 33-year-old has an ERA of 3.28, with 8.0 strikeouts per nine innings, in 28 games this season. Opposing hitters have a .246 batting average against him.
  • Wacha is looking to secure his 15th quality start of the year.
  • Wacha will look to extend an 11-game streak of pitching five or more innings (he’s averaging 5.8 frames per appearance).
  • He has had four appearances this season in which he kept his opponents to zero earned runs.
  • He will take the hill against a Nationals offense that is batting .241 as a unit (18th in MLB). It is also slugging a collective .373 (26th in MLB) with 130 total home runs (29th in MLB).
  • The 33-year-old ranks 14th in ERA (3.28), 31st in WHIP (1.194), and 38th in K/9 (8.0) among qualifying pitchers in MLB action this season.

Royals batting stats

  • The Royals’ 167 home runs rank 21st in Major League Baseball.
  • Fueled by 462 extra-base hits, Kansas City ranks 12th in MLB with a .407 slugging percentage this season.
  • The Royals rank seventh in MLB with a .250 team batting average.
  • Kansas City has scored the 13th-most runs in the majors this season with 723 (4.6 per game).
  • The Royals have the 17th-ranked on-base percentage in MLB this season (.308).
  • Kansas City is one of the most-disciplined teams at the plate this season, ranking second with an average of 7.1 strikeouts per game.

Nationals stats and trends

Nationals betting records

  • The Nationals have been underdogs in 129 games this season and have come away with the win 53 times (41.1%) in those contests.
  • This year, Washington has won 19 of 50 games when listed as at least +144 or worse on the moneyline.
  • The moneyline set for this matchup implies the Nationals have a 41% chance of walking away with the win.
  • Washington and its opponents have gone over the total this season in 74 of its 158 opportunities.
  • The Nationals are 86-71-0 against the spread in their 157 games with a line set by sportsbooks this season.

Patrick Corbin (Nationals probable starter)

  • Corbin makes the start for the Nationals, his 32nd of the season. He is 6-13 with a 5.58 ERA and 136 strikeouts over 169 1/3 innings pitched.
  • In his most recent outing on Thursday against the Chicago Cubs, the left-hander threw 4 1/3 innings, allowing five earned runs while surrendering eight hits.
  • The 35-year-old has an ERA of 5.58, with 7.2 strikeouts per nine innings in 31 games this season. Opponents are batting .299 against him.
  • Corbin is trying to collect his 10th quality start of the year.
  • Corbin will try to secure his 26th matchup of five or more innings pitched this season. He averages 5.5 innings per appearance.
  • In two of his 31 total appearances this season he has not given up an earned run.
  • He meets a Royals offense that ranks 13th in the league with 723 total runs scored while batting .250 as a squad. His opponent has a collective .407 slugging percentage (12th in MLB action) and has hit a total of 167 home runs (21st in the league).
  • This season, the 35-year-old ranks 56th in ERA (5.58), 56th in WHIP (1.506), and 48th in K/9 (7.2) among qualifying pitchers.

Nationals batting stats

  • The Nationals have hit 130 home runs this season, the second-lowest total in MLB play.
  • So far this season, Washington’s .373 slugging percentage is the fifth-lowest percentage in the majors.
  • The Nationals are 18th in the majors with a .241 batting average.
  • Averaging 4.0 runs per game (638 total), Washington is the 25th-highest scoring team in baseball.
  • The Nationals rank 17th in the majors with an on-base percentage of .308.
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