Brady Singer will start for the Royals on Sunday, and they are looking to keep their two-game winning streak alive. The Royals are 82-67 this season, which has them in 2nd place in the AL Central. The Pirates are 5th in the NL Central with a record of 70-78.
Pittsburgh is the slight money line favorite for Sunday's interleague matchup, with their odds sitting at -110 compared to the Royals at -108. First pitch from PNC Park is set for 1:35 PM ET, and BSKC will be televising this one.
Kansas City vs. Pittsburgh Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Royals at Pirates
- Where: PNC Park Pittsburgh
- Date: Sunday, September 15th
- Betting Odds PIT -110 | KC -108 O/U 8
Royals vs Pirates Last Game Recap
Thanks to a two-run 5th inning for the Royals' offense, they cruised to a 5-1 win over the Pirates in the most recent game of this series. Heading into the game, the Royals were favored at -118 on the money line.
The starting pitching matchup for this game featured Michael Wacha for the Royals, and he went just five innings while giving up one run and picked up the win. Mitch Keller got the start for the Pirates, going six innings and giving up three earned runs.
Kansas City got a huge performance from Bobby Witt Jr., as he went 2/3 with a home run and three RBIs. Both Jarrod Dyson and Hunter Dozier each drove in two runs for the Royals' offense.
Royals Preview
On the run line, the Royals have been a strong bet on the road with a 41-33 record. They are 4-0 ATS in their last four games as the favorite and have an overall run line record of 84-65. Kansas City is 82-67 overall and is currently 2nd in the AL Central, three games behind the Guardians.
When the O/U line is set at 8, the Royals have a 14-15-3 record. Overall, their games have averaged 8.8 runs per game, with 61.7% of their games having O/U lines over 8 runs. Kansas City's straight-up series record is 21-24-2.
Right-hander Brady Singer gets the start for the Royals today as he faces the Pirates on the road. Singer has made 29 starts this year and has a record of 9-10 with an ERA of 3.42. Coming into the game, he has a WHIP of 1.25 and has turned in 12 quality starts. In his last outing, Singer finished with a no-decision, giving up three earned runs in five innings of work. Before that, he had lost two straight starts. Singer has allowed at least one home run in four straight outings.
Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. have been two of the Royals' most consistent hitters this season, as they are both in the top 15 in home runs and have driven in over 100 runs apiece. Witt Jr. is batting .333 for the season, and Perez is not far behind at .276. Perez has been hot of late, going 9/28 in his last eight games with two homers and eight RBIs. Witt Jr. is also on a seven-game hitting streak.
Overall, the Royals have been one of the better offensive teams in the league this season, as they are 10th in runs per game, averaging 4.7 runs per contest. They have been even better at home, averaging 5 runs per game, which is 4th in the league. As a team, the Royals are batting .253, which is 6th in the league.
Pirates Preview
Overall, the Pirates have a 70-78 record and are 16 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. They have lost the first two games of their series against the Royals. As underdogs, the Pirates are 37-51 this season and 15-19 at home. Against the run line, they have a 57-31 record as underdogs and 38-39 on the road.
This season, Pirates games have averaged 8.8 runs, and their over/under record is 73-73. When the total is set at 8 runs, their O/U record is 16-17. So far, 50.7% of their games have had totals of 8 runs, while 27.0% have had lower totals.
Jared Jones gets the start for the Pirates today and will be looking to build off his last outing, where he picked up the win. Against the Nationals on September 8th, Jones went 7 innings, giving up just 2 earned runs. Looking at his overall numbers, Jones has made 19 starts, and his ERA is 3.82. Opponents have a batting average of .219 this season off Jones. He has turned in 11 quality starts and is averaging 9.55 strikeouts per nine innings. For the year, Jones' record is 6-7.
Heading into today's game, the Pirates offense is averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 21st in the MLB. They have been a little better at home, averaging 4.3 runs per game. Overall, they are batting .236 as a team, which is 16th in the league, and their team on-base percentage is just 19th in the league. The Pirates have also struggled in the power department, as they are 23rd in home runs and have a team ISO of .136.
Bryan Reynolds has been the Pirates' top hitter this season, batting .282 with a team-leading 22 home runs and 84 RBIs. He is also on a five-game hitting streak and has gone 9/19 in his last five games. Andrew McCutchen is also on a bit of a hot streak, going 4/14 in his last four games, including a home run.
Royals vs. Pirates Prediction: Royals ML -108
Our predicted final score for this one is 5-4 in favor of the Royals, and with them having an ML of -108, this is the way we recommend playing this one. The Royals are also the team we have winning this one in a head-to-head pick.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Brady Singer going six innings and finishing with five strikeouts. As for Jared Jones, we have him going five innings and finishing with just four strikeouts.
