Oakland Athletics vs. Kansas City Royals Prediction 8-21-23 MLB Picks

The Kansas City Royals and the Oakland A’s meet in game one of their three-game set in MLB action from the Oakland Coliseum on Monday night. The two worst teams in the AL duke it out for three games, who takes game one? Let’s dive in and find out.

Royals Run Out Of Steam Vs. Cubs

The Kansas City Royals were competitive in their entire series against the Chicago Cubs over the weekend, but came up just short in the rubber match on Sunday, losing to Chicago by a final score of 4-3. The loss dropped KC to 40-86 on the year, ahead of the A’s by 5 games for the worst record in baseball. Bobby Witt Jr. leads the Royals with 141 hits, 24 home runs and 79 RBIs along with a .281 batting average while Salvador Perez is second for the Royals in homers with 19 this season. MJ Melendez also has a team-high 26 doubles but has the dubious distinction of leading KC with 138 strikeouts this season. Tucker Davidson will start for the Royals and is 1-2 with a 6.39 ERA and 37 strikeouts this season.

Kansas City Royals Team Facts

• The Royals have won each of their last three games as underdogs against the Athletics.
• The Royals have covered the run line eight of their last nine night games against teams that held a losing record.
• The Royals have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last four night games against AL West opponents that held a losing record.
• The Royals have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last five road games.
• The Royals have trailed after 7 innings in each of their last four night games against AL West opponents that held a losing record.

A's Get Stomped By Orioles

The Oakland A’s had a chance to try to play spoiler in their weekend series against the Orioles, but Sunday might’ve been the worst of the bunch after a 12-1 loss to the O’s in the series finale. The loss dropped Oakland to 34-90 on the year, trying to get out of the basement in the MLB standings. Brent Rooker leads the A’s with 20 home runs and 51 RBIs this season, while Esteury Ruiz has 92 hits, a .248 batting average and a team-best 48 stolen bases. Ryan Noda, JJ Bleday, Seth Brown and Shea Langeliers also have double-digit home runs for the A’s this season, while Ruiz also leads the A’s in doubles with 21. Paul Blackburn will get the start for the A’s here and is 3-3 with a 4.09 ERA and 74 strikeouts this season.

Oakland Athletics Team Facts

• The Athletics have lost each of their last nine games as favorites after playing the previous day.
• The Athletics have covered the run line in each of their last 10 night games against AL Central opponents.
• The Athletics have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last five Monday games against opponents that held a losing record.
• The Athletics have trailed after 7 innings in each of their last nine Monday games against opponents that held a losing record.
• The 'Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs' market has hit in each of the last three games between the Royals and Athletics.

Oakland Athletics Player Prop Facts

• Seth Brown has hit a home run in three of the Athletics' last seven home games against AL Central opponents that held a losing record.
• Seth Brown has recorded at least one RBI in each of his last four appearances against the Royals.
• Tony Kemp has scored at least one run in each of the Athletics' last four home games against opponents that held a losing record.
• Paul Blackburn has recorded seven or more strikeouts in three of his last four appearances in night games against teams that held a losing record.
• Brent Rooker has recorded at least one hit in each of his last eight appearances in night games against teams that held a losing record.
• Brent Rooker has recorded at least one total base in each of his last eight appearances in night games against teams that held a losing record.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Oakland Athletics ranks 30th in the league for runs scored this season (442).
• The Oakland Athletics ranks 30th in the league for hits this season (910).
• 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 (301).

Chris’ Pick

I’m rolling with the Royals here. I know that I’ve said before that I feel that Paul Blackburn (along with JP Sears) is the best option that the A’s have in terms of getting a win from their starting pitching, but I’m thinking that at this point, there’s no saving the Oakland A’s. The Kansas City Royals have at least shown some fight and some spirit in battling for pride and I think they do enough to secure another win here. Give me the Royals.