It’s Friday Night once again and we’ve got some great baseball on the slate tonight! But of course, in typical weekend fashion, I’ll be taking you to my home town team as the Kansas City Royals host the Philadelphia Phillies. Now, the big bad Phillies should be favored in this matchup, however being on the road and losing 3 of their L4 puts them in a vulnerable position, especially with Taijuan Walker on the mound. We know how good Philly is, but we also know how good the Royals are at Kauffman this season.
Kansas City boasts a 40-26 home record, the best home record in the American League and 3rd in the MLB, only behind the Phillies and Dodgers. The Royals are also on a bit of a hot streak at the moment. They are tied with Minnesota for 2nd place in the AL Central, just 2 games behind the Guardians. The Royals and Twins are now safely 3.5 games ahead of the Red Sox for the final Wild Card spot, and are also just 2 games behind the Orioles for the top Wild Card spot. Kansas City has won 6 of their L7 games, and tonight I think they could get the best of the Phillies.
Philadelphia has lost 3 of their L4, and 5 of their L6 on the road. They lead the NL East by just 6 games, and are 1.5 games behind the Dodgers for 1st place in the National League as a whole. Both of these teams are included in the 5 MLB squads with a +100 run differential this season, and we know the Royals score plenty of runs at home. Will their bats come alive against the Phillies? Or will the books pay out Philadelphia at plus money tonight?
Philadelphia Phillies vs Kansas City Royals: Future World Series Matchup?
Can Taijuan Walker shutdown the Royals at home?
Game Information – Phillies vs Royals
- Venue & Location: Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City, MO)
- Date: Friday, August 23rd, 2024
- First Pitch: 8:10pm Eastern
Phillies vs Royals Starting Pitchers
- Philadelphia Phillies: Taijuan Walker (3-4, 5.69 ERA, 1.51 WHIP)
- Kansas Coty Royals: Michael Wacha (10-6, 3.33 ERA, 1.20 WHIP)
Betting Odds
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Run Line
- Phillies +1.5 (-215)
- Braves -1.5 (+185)
Money Line
- Phillies -103
- Braves -107
Total
- Over 8 (-104)
- Under 8 (-116)
Will the Royals Bats Come Alive at Home?
Bobby Witt Jr. leads the Royals tonight at home against the Phillies
Look, we know how good the Royals’ bats are at home. It’s like they are an entire different team. Kansas City hits .257 as a team, and .271 at home this year which is 2nd in the MLB. But more recently, they have been scorching hot. Since the All Star Break, the Royals are hitting .288 as a team and .287 in the month of August. The boys are playing some ball, and are heating up at the right time. While Walker’s splits don’t change too much on the road this year, he has been very shaky since reentering the Phillies’ rotation.
Walker has made 2 starts in August, with neither being that great. In just 8.2 innings, Walker has allowed 6 runs on 8 hits, including 3 home runs and 6 total walks. He only struck out 8 total batters, and took the loss in one of those starts. Going back to before he was injured, he struggled significantly. The Phillies have lost the last 7 games that Walker has started, dating back to May 27th, and he’s allowed 3+ earned runs in 6 of those 7 outings. Against the Royals’ bats tonight, I see Walker struggling, especially considering the Royals come alive at home on Friday Night.
Royals Come Alive on Friday Night
The Royals are 8-2 this season at home on a Friday Night, and have cleared 5+ runs in 9 of those 10 games. Plus, with Michael Wacha on the mound, they are on good hands.
Michael Wacha has 10 wins for the Royals this year, and he hasn’t lost a game since June 22nd. Wacha is coming off two straight wins, and has won 6 of his L8 outings, with the Royals losing once in that stretch. Wacha has allowed 2 runs or less in 4 straight outings, and his ERA and WHIP improve slightly at home. As for the Phillies’ bats, they struggle away from home. Philadelphia hits .256 overall, but jut .248 on the road and .246 against RHP. They are hitting just .246 since the All Star Break, and although they could get a few runs off of Wacha, I think I am going to focus on the Royals’ bats.
Philadelphia Phillies vs Kansas City Royals Best Bets
Salvador Perez and the Royals are back at home tonight
Phillies vs Royals Prediction: Royals Win
Best Bet: Royals TT Over 4.5 (-120) BetOnline
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This is a classic Friday Night bet on the Royals, and I understand if you’re sick of it. However, the Royals are 9-1 to this TT in this scenario this season, and they’ve hit it in 9 straight at home on Friday Night. I am telling you, there is magic in the air at Kauffman Stadium as the weekend rolls in, and the Royals bats feed off of that energy.
According to batters-box.com (Do NOT Forget the Hyphen), the Royals have 2 great hitters and 5 others with an above average matchup. With the way these Yals are hitting, I have no problem laying a little juice on this TT tonight. Walker’s speed on his pitches doesn’t vary too much, as nearly 90% of his pitches range between 85-91 MPH. This should make it easier on the Royals hitters to focus and make clean contact at the plate. This will be a rare 2U play for me tonight.
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