Kansas City Royals vs LA Angels: Preview & Prediction
This season could not be going more differently for the Los Angeles Angels and Kansas City Royals. The Angels brought in the most hyped international free agent in history, and both he and the team are exceeding even the most optimistic expectations. The Royals, on the other hand, parted ways with two of the faces of their franchise — Eric Hosmer and Dee Gordon — and now can hardly score a run.
The Angels look for their seventh straight win tonight (7:15 PM ET, April 14) behind the arm of Garrett Richards, while KC turns to the surprisingly effective arm of Jakob Junis to stem their losing streak at four.
The opening odds, key stats, betting trends, weather forecast, and score prediction are below.
Opening Odds
| MONEYLINE | RUNLINE | O/U RUNS |
|---|---|---|
| ANGELS (-163) | ANGELS -1.5 (-106) | OVER 8.0 (-115) |
| ROYALS (+153) | ROYALS +1.5 (-114) | UNDER 8.0 (-105) |
Jakob Junis has been spotless through his first two starts this year, surrendering zero runs in 14 innings of work against Detroit and Seattle. His starts account for two-thirds of KC’s wins so far.
The oft-injured Richards has been mediocre at best. He’s worked just 15 innings over three starts, and given up 12 hits, 12 walks, and seven earned runs. The Angels are still 2-1 in those games, though, thanks to the league-leading offense scoring a combined 26 runs.
Team Stats
| ROYALS | STATISTIC | ANGELS |
|---|---|---|
| 3-9 (162 Home) | RECORD | 12-3 (8-1 Away) |
| -18 (25th) | RUN DIFFERENTIAL | +46 (1st) |
| Jakob Junis: 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP | PROBABLE STARTER | Garrett Richards: 2-0, 2.25 ERA, |
| .268 BA, .647 OPS (in 56 at-bats) | LINEUP VS OPPONENT STARTER | .429 BA, 1.277 OPS (in 22 at-bats) |
| 6.95 (28th in MLB) | BULLPEN ERA | 2.48 ERA (7th in MLB) |
| .615 (27th in MLB) | TEAM OPS | .828 (2nd in MLB) |
| 5-0 (3-0 Home) | 2017 HEAD-TO-HEAD | 0-5 (0-3 Away) |
Betting Results & Trends
| ROYALS | TREND | ANGELS |
|---|---|---|
| Lost 1 | WIN/LOSS STREAK | Won 1 |
| 1-4 | LAST 5 | 5-0 |
| 5-7 | RUNLINE RECORD | 11-4 |
| 3-9 | OVER/UNDER SPLIT | 10-5 |
| Under 3 | OVER/UNDER STREAK | Under 3 |
The Angels rallied from a 4-2 deficit with three runs in the final three innings last night in the series opener. Ohtani went 2-4 with a run, but it was Albert Pujols (2-5, 3 RBI) who really powered the offense.
Weather Forecast at Opening Pitch
| TEMPERATURE | 44° |
| HUMIDITY | 66% |
| WIND SPEED | NW 13 MPH (out/cross-wind to right field) |
| P.O.P. | 31% |
Score Prediction
| ANGELS | 5 |
| ROYALS | 3 |
Which small sample size do you believe in more? LA’s 1.277 OBP against Junis in 22 at-bats, or Junis’ 0.00 ERA and 0.50 WHIP in his two 2018 starts?
You probably shouldn’t buy fully into either. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. But given that Junis had an ERA in the mid-fours (4.30) and just 80 Ks in 98.0 innings last year (his rookie season), the safer bet is to roll with the Angels. Not because Ohtani is guaranteed to keep mashing — since he’s pitching tomorrow, he won’t even play today — but because Mike Trout is a beast, Albert Pujols looks to have turned back the clock, and Garrett Richards is as much of an ace as they have.
It’s worth noting that Junis’ two starts came against the Tigers and Mariners, who have scored 100 runs combined this season. The Angels have score 98 on their own.
Sascha was a hockey player in his youth, a lawyer in his capricious mid-20s, and has been with SBD since 2014. He specializes in football, basketball, politics, baseball, and hockey.
