The best of the AL East in the form of the Boston Red Sox travel to Kansas City to face the worst of the AL Central in the Kansas City Royals this Friday to start a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium. Read on for a preview of each of those contests.
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Game by Game Betting Preview for the Boston Red Sox vs Kansas City Royals Regular Season Series Running from June 6-8, 2018
Where: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
When:
Game 1 Friday, June 6, 8:15PM EST
Game 2 Saturday, June 7, 7:15PM EST
Game 3 Sunday, June 8, 2:15PM EST
Line: Boston Red Sox vs Kansas City Royals – view all MLB lines
TV Broadcast: RSN, YES
Game 1: Friday, June 6, 8:15PM EST
Starters: Chris Sale (8-4, 2.41 ERA) vs. Jason Hammel (2-10, 5.56 ERA)
Pitching:
Chris Sale has simply been sensational this season. He’s also stepped it up of late, as he has a running streak of recording 11 or more in each of his last three starts. Against the Yankees’ big bats on Jun. 30, Sale tossed seven scoreless innings and allowed just one hit while striking out 11 hitters in an 11-0 road win. Unlike Sale, Hammel is not having a fantastic campaign. With only two wins against 10 losses, Hammel is not exactly the kind of pitcher that inspires on the mound. The Royals have lost all of Hammel’s last five starts over which he has given up 22 earned runs.
Hitting:
- Alcides Escobar is 24-for-72 with three doubles and a homer vs. Sale.
- Xander Bogaerts is 5-for-10 with a homer vs. Hammel.
Writer’s Prediction:
Boston wins, 7-2.
Game 2 Saturday, June 7, 7:15PM EST
Starters: David Price (9-6, 4.28 ERA) vs. Brad Keller (2-3, 2.09 ERA)
Pitching:
Price was touched up for eight earned runs on nine hits, including five homers, in a truly unforgettable 3.1 innings worth of action on the mound during an 11-1 loss at the Bronx against the Yankees on Jul. 1 He can use his start this Friday at Kauffman Stadium to recover his stuff, as he is 2-0 with a 1.56 ERA in three career starts there. As for Keller, has pitched generally well this year. The rookie recently allowed just an earned run on six hits in 8.0 innings of a 1-0 road loss to Seattle on Jul. 1. He is 1-1 with a 1.71 ERA and 10 Ks in his last three starts.
Hitting:
- Alex Gordon is 4-for-17 with a pair of doubles vs. Price.
- Boston hitters who have prior experience of batting against Keller only have a collective 1-for-5 line vs. the rookie.
Writer’s Prediction:
Boston wins, 5-3.
Game 3 Sunday, June 8, 2:15PM EST
Starters: Rick Porcello (10-3, 3.57 ERA) vs. Jakob Junis (5-10, 5.13 ERA)
Pitching:
Porcello pitched for six innings and allowed two earned runs on seven hits (two homers) in a 4-3 road win over Washington. The Red Sox are 3-0 in his last three starts, and in that stretch, the 2016 AL Cy Young Award winner has gone 2-0 with a 2.89 ERA and 15 strikeouts. The Royals will counter him with Junis, who probably has forgotten how winning feels like. The Royals are 0-7 in his last seven starts, a stretch that includes the 9-3 home loss to Cleveland on Jul. 2 in which Junis allowed eight earned runs on nine hits (two homers) in 5.1 innings on the mound.
Hitting:
- Alex Gordon is 11-for-46 with two home runs vs. Porcello.
- Rafael Devers and Mitch Moreland are both 2-for-3 vs. Junis.
Writer’s Prediction:
Boston wins, 5-3.
Writer’s Overall Series Prediction
The Red Sox sweep this early July three game series against the Royals.
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