Royals vs Braves Prediction & MLB Odds For Saturday, September 28th
From Truist Park in Atlanta, we have the Royals and Braves facing off in an interleague matchup. This one gets started at 7:20 PM ET, and BSKC is carrying the game on TV. The money line odds have the Braves at -154 compared to the Royals at +129. The over/under line is currently 7.5 runs.
Reynaldo Lopez is starting for the Braves, and they are looking for their fifth straight win. The Royals are starting Seth Lugo, and they are 85-75, while the Braves are 87-71. This is the third game of the AL Central vs. NL East series.
Betting Odds & Lines for this Game
- Spread: Royals 1.5 (-177) | Braves -1.5 (+143)
- Total: 7.5
- MoneyLine: Royals +129 | Braves -154
All Odds are courtesy of (BetMGM | DraftKings | Fanduel | BetRivers)
Royals vs. Braves Prediction: Moneyline
The most recent game o of this Braves vs. Royals series came right down to the end, as the Royals rallied late but still fell short with the Braves winning 3-2 at home. Heading into the game, the Braves were favored at -189 on the money line.
Max Fried pitched well for the Braves in this one, going 8 2/3 innings and striking out nine without giving up a run. He picked up a win in the game, while Raisel Iglesias closed things out. Brady Singer had a good outing for the Royals in the loss, going six innings and giving up two earned runs.
At the plate, the Braves were led by Sean Murphy, who homered and went 1/3. He scored all three of the Braves’ runs. As for the Royals, Michael Massey went 2/4 with two doubles.
The Royals are 85-75 overall, and they are seven games behind the Guardians in the AL Central. So far, they have gone 33-19 in divisional games. Kansas City will be on the road today vs. the Braves, and they have an overall road record of 40-39.
This season, the Royals have gone 50-31 as the favorite and 35-44 as the underdog. They have dropped three straight games as the underdog, and they are just 3-7 in their last 10 games overall. Kansas City has an overall series record of 23-26-2 and have won two straight series on the road. At home, they have dropped two straight series.
With an overall record of 87-71, the Braves are six games behind the Phillies for the NL East lead. The Braves have won four straight games, and they are 27-23 against other teams in the NL East. Atlanta took the first game of their series vs. the Royals.
At home, the Braves are 44-33 this season and have gone 43-38 on the road. As the favorite, the Braves are 74-53 this season and 13-18 as the underdog. Atlanta has won three straight series, and their overall series record is 29-17-7.
Royals vs. Braves Prediction: Over/Under
The Kansas City Royals are on the road today against the Atlanta Braves, and the over/under line for the game is set at 7.5 runs. The Royals have played in 130 games this season with over/under lines higher than 7.5 runs, which accounts for 81.2% of their games. Their combined run average for the season is 8.6 runs per game, and their over/under record is 69-86 overall. When the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs, their record is 4-16.
Currently, the Royals are 13th in the MLB in runs scored, averaging 4.6 runs per contest. At home, they have been even better, averaging 4.8 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .249, which is 7th in the league, and are also one of the top home run hitting teams in the league. Kansas City is also one of the best teams in the league at avoiding strikeouts.
Bobby Witt Jr. has been one of the best hitters in the league this season, batting .332 with 32 home runs and 109 RBIs. Salvador Perez has also been a big power threat, as he has 27 homers and 104 RBIs. Witt Jr. has been especially hot of late, as Hunter Renfroe has just one hit in his last five games.
The Braves have had a high over/under line in the majority of their games this season, with 72.8% of their games having a line set at over 7.5 runs. Their games have averaged 8.1 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 58-94 overall. When the line has been set at 7.5 runs, they have gone over 13 times and under 21 times. Their current under streak is at 2 games.
Marcell Ozuna and Matt Olson have been a big reason why the Braves have the league’s 3rd best home run total this season, as Ozuna’s 39 homers are 5th in the league, and Olson isn’t far behind, with 29 homers. Ozuna is also 11th in the league with 102 RBIs, while Olson is 2nd on the team in RBIs, with 98. Ozuna comes into the game with a batting average of .308, and Olson is batting .245.
Over his last nine games, Michael Harris II has been on fire, going 18/40 with five homers and nine RBIs. This has helped him score 11 runs over that stretch. As a team, the Braves are averaging 4.4 runs per game and have been a better offensive team on the road this season.
Royals vs. Braves Prediction: Spread
When the Royals are the underdog, they are a good bet to cover the run line, as they are 46-33. They have covered the run line in two straight games as the favorite, but are just 41-40 on the season in that situation.
Seth Lugo will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing as he gets the start for the Royals today. Against the Giants on September 22nd, he took the loss, giving up two earned runs in seven innings of work. Looking at his overall numbers, Lugo has made 32 starts and has a record of 16-9. His ERA for the season is 3.03, along with a WHIP of 1.09. Lugo has one complete game and 22 quality starts this year. Per nine innings, he is averaging 7.83 strikeouts and just 2.07 walks. For the season, Lugo has allowed 16 homers.
Atlanta is 76-82 against the run line this season, including a 33-44 mark at home. The Braves have been outscored by an average of 0.6 runs per game overall, but they have a run line record of 43-38 on the road, where they have a scoring margin of +1.2 runs per game. As the favorite, Atlanta is 58-69 against the run line, while as the underdog, they are 18-13.
Right-hander Reynaldo López gets the start for the Braves today and comes into the game with a record of 8-5 and an ERA of 2.03. So far this year, he has made 24 starts, and opponents are batting .219 off him. López has made 13 quality starts this year and is averaging 9.58 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, he finished with a no-decision, going just one inning and not giving up a run. Before that, he had won two straight starts. López has been much better at home, coming in with a 1.83 ERA compared to 2.12 on the road.
Royals vs. Braves Pick: Braves ML -154
Our predicted final score for this game is 6-4 in favor of the Braves, and with their money line sitting at -154, this is the way we recommend playing this one.
Looking at the starting pitcher’s projections, Reynaldo López is projected to finish with seven strikeouts, which is good for fourth best among starters. As for Seth Lugo, he is projected to finish with five strikeouts, which is seventh worst.
