WeBeatTheSpread's Premium Pick for Kansas City Royals vs. Cincinnati Reds
The Kansas City Royals and Cincinnati Reds kick off the second game of their series. WeBeatTheSpread provides his prediction and pick for this game. Tail this premium MLB pick.
Ben Rajavuori - June 13, 2023, 4:53 PM EDT
5 minWeBeatTheSpread's Premium Pick for Kansas City Royals vs. Cincinnati Reds
The Kansas City Royals and Cincinnati Reds kick off game two of their head-to-head series from Kaufmann Stadium tonight, with Brandon Williamson on the bump for the Reds and Jordan Lyles on the bump for the Royals. Yesterday I took the Royals because they had a favorable pitching matchup with Zack Greinke on the mound, and the Royals' bullpen blew the game in extras after jumping out to a quick 3-0 lead. I will not be making the same mistake tonight, and I am backing the right team.
The Reds have been a surprise in late May and Early June with several prospect debuts to re-ignite a team that has struggled for a while. Most notably, Elly De La Cruz, one of the top prospects in the MLB, made his debut on June 6th, and the Reds have gone 5-2 since he joined the lineup. Andrew Abbott has also been a nice addition to the starting rotation, as the rookie is 2-0 in his first two starts with the team. The Reds are a young team with a bright future. Even though they may sit at 32-35 right now, there are a lot of things for Cincinnati fans to be excited about.
On the other side, the same cannot be said for the Royals. They look completely hopeless, and even though they have two fewer losses than the Athletics, I can confidently say they look like the worst team in baseball. They are also equally bad at home (9-24) as they are on the road (9-24). Yesterday, I figured Zack Greinke could continue to provide them with a spark at home, as he has been, but the Royals blew the lead and lost the game still, leaving me completely hopeless for this organization for the time being.
Tonight, it gets only worse. Much worse. Jordan Lyles takes the mound for the Royals tonight, and he has an 0-10 record with a 6.84 ERA. That's only his pitcher record as well, which is filled with some no-decisions because the Royals are 0-13 in games Jodan Lyles starts. Yes, you read that right...0-13. Lyles has had maybe one 'decent' start this season, a five-inning outing against the Rockies with one earned run allowed, but the Royals still lost 2-7.
These teams are going in two separate directions and rapidly. If you're going to give me -115 on the moneyline against a pitcher that has a team win-loss of 0-13 in his starts, I'll take it every day. The line is only this low because Brandon Williamson hasn't been great for the Reds, either, but the Reds should put up enough offense tonight behind him that it shouldn't matter.
Pick: Cincinnati Reds ML -115 Bet $100 to collect $186 BetMGM has the best odds
