Chicago Cubs vs Kansas City Royals Prediction 8-19-23 MLB Picks

The Kansas City Royals and Chicago Cubs clash Saturday in game 2 of an MLB series at Wrigley Field. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.

Kansas City Royals Betting Preview

The Royals need a win after losing 9 of their last 13 games. The Royals have the second-worst record in the AL at 40-84. The Royals pitching staff is 28th in ERA (5.18), 26th in WHIP (1.42) and 28th in quality starts (27). The Royals' offense is 28th in runs per game (4.02), 19th in batting average (.244) and 24th in homers (121). Bobby Witt Jr. leads the Royals with 137 hits and 78 RBI, while Salvador Perez and MJ Melendez have combined for 207 hits and 99 RBI. Brady Singer gets the ball, and he is 8-8 with a 4.91 ERA and 116 strikeouts this season. This will be Singer’s second career game against the Cubs.

Kansas City Royals Team Facts

The Royals have lost each of their last nine games following a road win.
The Royals have covered the run line in each of their last five games at Wrigley Field.
The Royals have led after 7 innings in each of their last five games against the Cubs.
The Royals have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last six day games against NL Central opponents that held a winning record.
The Royals have lost the first inning in each of their last six Saturday road games.

Chicago Cubs Betting Preview

The Cubs look for a win after splitting their last 10 games. The Cubs are 1 game back in the NL wild card race. The Cubs pitching staff is 15th in ERA (4.17), 17th in WHIP (1.28) and 8th in quality starts (54). The Cubs' offense is 5th in runs per game (5.02), 10th in batting average (.255) and 13th in homers (147). Nico Hoerner leads the Cubs with 133 hits and 60 RBI, while Cody Bellinger and Dansby Swanson have combined for 213 hits and 119 RBI. Justin Steele gets the ball, and he is 13-3 with a 2.79 ERA and 120 strikeouts this season. This will be Steele’s first career game against the Royals.

Chicago Cubs Team Facts

The Cubs have lost five of their last six games as home favorites against American League opponents.
The Cubs have failed to cover the run line each of their last seven games against teams that held a losing record.
The Cubs have trailed after 7 innings in each of their last six games as home favorites against American League opponents.
The Cubs have trailed after 5 innings in eight of their last 12 games as home favorites against AL Central opponents.
The Cubs have trailed after 3 innings in five of their last six games as home favorites against American League opponents.

Matchup/League Facts

The Chicago Cubs ranks 3rd in the league for walks this season (437).
The Chicago Cubs are one of only 3 teams in the league to rank top 10 in both steals and batting average this season.
The Kansas City Royals ranks 1st in the league for triples this season (32).
The Kansas City Royals ranks 30th in the league for walks this season (298).

Randy’s Pick

The Cubs are not only playing the better baseball right now, but they simply can't let games like this to gt away if they're going to make the postseason. Justin Steele has been one of the best pitchers in baseball with a 2.79 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. Steele has a 2.63 ERA at home. Again, if the Cubs are going to go dancing in October, these are games they can't let slip away, and it's as simple as that. I'll lay the somewhat reasonable juice with the Cubs at home.