Chicago Cubs vs Kansas City Royals Prediction 8-20-23 MLB Picks

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20 August 2023

Chicago Cubs vs Kansas City Royals Prediction 8-20-23 MLB Picks

The Kansas City Royals and Chicago Cubs clash Sunday in game 3 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 look to play spoiler despite losing 10 of their last 14 games. The Royals have the second-worst record in the AL at 40-85. The Royals pitching staff is 28th in ERA (5.17), 26th in WHIP (1.42) and 29th in quality starts (27). The Royals' offense is 28th in runs per game (4.02), 19th in batting average (.244) and 27th in homers (121). Bobby Witt Jr. leads the Royals with 140 hits and 79 RBI, while Salvador Perez and MJ Melendez have combined for 210 hits and 99 RBI. Jordan Lyles gets the ball, and he is 3-13 with a 6.30 ERA and 91 strikeouts this season. Lyles is 4-4 with a 5.31 ERA and 55 strikeouts in his career against the Cubs.

Kansas City Royals Team Facts

The Royals have won four of their last five games as underdogs against the Cubs.
The Royals have failed to cover the run line each of their last six Sunday day games against NL Central opponents that held a winning record.
The Royals have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last seven day games against NL Central opponents that held a winning record.

Kansas City Royals Player Prop Facts

Bobby Witt Jr. has hit a home run in three of the Royals' last five road games against NL Central opponents.
Bobby Witt Jr. has recorded at least one RBI in each of his last seven appearances against NL opponents that held a winning record.
Bobby Witt Jr. has recorded three or more total bases in each of the Royals' last six games against NL Central opponents.
Bobby Witt Jr. has scored at least one run in each of his last four appearances in day games.
Jordan Lyles has recorded five or more strikeouts in three of his last four appearances with his team as an underdog against the Cubs.
MJ Melendez has recorded at least one hit in each of the Royals' last nine day games against opponents that held a winning record.
Bobby Witt Jr. ranks 4th in the league in Steals (36) this season.

Chicago Cubs Betting Preview

The Cubs look for a win after splitting their last 10 games. The Cubs are 3 games back in the NL Central. The Cubs pitching staff is 15th in ERA (4.17), 18th in WHIP (1.28) and 6th in quality starts (55). The Cubs' offense is 5th in runs per game (5.02), 10th in batting average (.255) and 13th in homers (149). Nico Hoerner leads the Cubs with 134 hits and 60 RBI, while Cody Bellinger and Dansby Swanson have combined for 216 hits and 123 RBI. Kyle Hendricks gets the ball, and he is 4-6 with a 4.00 ERA and 61 strikeouts this season. Hendricks is 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA and 12 strikeouts in his career against the Royals.

Chicago Cubs Team Facts

The Cubs have lost each of their last seven home games against AL Central opponents following a win.
The Cubs have failed to cover the run line in each of their last eight home games against AL Central opponents following a win.
The Cubs have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last four Sunday games as home favorites.
The Cubs have trailed after 7 innings in six of their last seven games as home favorites against American League opponents.
The Cubs have trailed after 3 innings in five of their last seven games as home favorites against American League opponents.

Chicago Cubs Player Prop Facts

Cody Bellinger has hit at least one home run in two of his last three home appearances against the Royals after playing the previous day.
Jeimer Candelario has scored at least one run in each of his last four appearances against the Royals after playing the previous day.
Kyle Hendricks has recorded five or more strikeouts in seven of his last eight appearances in day games against AL teams that held a losing record.
Jeimer Candelario has recorded two or more total bases in each of his last four appearances against the Royals after playing the previous day.
Ian Happ has recorded at least one hit in each of the Cubs' last seven games as home favorites.
Cody Bellinger ranks 4th amongst qualified players for Batting Average (.326) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

The Chicago Cubs ranks 3rd in the league for walks this season (439).
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 (300).

Randy’s Pick

I'm not running to the window to lay these sorts of prices with Kyle Hendricks on the mound, but it's the Cubs at home against one of the worst teams in baseball, so I don't have many options. Jordan Lyles also leads the league with 13 losses, and his 6.30 ERA doesn't help his case, especially on the road. The Cubs can't afford to blow these games if they're going to make a real run at a division title. Give me the Cubs and the RL for max betting value.