The Kansas City Royals (-115) host the Seattle Mariners (-105) at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium on Saturday. The early total has been set at 8 with the under a -120 favorite. The Royals (62-89) took Friday’s series opener 5-1, their fourth straight victory overall and first in four games against the Mariners this season. Starter Brady Singer went seven innings for the win, allowing one run on five hits and striking out eight. Hunter Dozier went 2 for 4 with a double and one run in the win. Cal Raleigh was 1 for 3 with a solo home run for the Mariners (82-68).
ON THE MOUND
Logan Gilbert (13-6, 3.13 ERA) is slated to start for Seattle. The RHP allowed one run over six innings in his last start, a 9-1 road win over the Angels on Monday. He got the win, yielding four hits while striking out 11 and walking one. Gilbert is making his first appearance against the Royals this season. Over two starts against the Royals in 2021, Gilbert was 1-0 with a 4.91 ERA over 11 innings. He had 10 strikeouts and two walks. LHP Kris Bubic (2-13, 5.81 ERA) is on the mound for Kansas City. He has made one prior start against the Mariners this season, giving up five runs over two innings in a 13-7 road defeat on April 23. He gave up seven hits and walked one, while striking out one in the no-decision. In his last start on Sunday, Bubic took the loss on the road against the Red Sox. He threw 2.2 innings and gave up five runs on seven hits, striking out two and walking three in the 13-3 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Seattle has averaged 4.2 runs a game, equal to their season average. Against left-handed pitchers like Bubic this season, the M’s have a .706 OPS. Eugenio Suarez is the team’s strongest performer against left-handers with a .928 OPS in 120 at-bats. Kansas City is averaging 4.4 runs per game in the last five, up slightly from 3.9 for the season. The Royals have a .671 OPS against right-handers in 2022, fourth lowest in MLB. With a .726 OPS over 415 at-bats, Bobby Witt Jr. has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Seattle is 43-36 in road games in 2022, scoring 4.5 runs per game while allowing 3.9 runs. Kansas City has won five in a row at home. The Royals are 38-41 at home this season, averaging 4.0 runs per game while surrendering 4.8. In the last 10 meetings at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium, Seattle is 8-2 with an average scoreline of 5.9-4.0.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Mariners are second in the AL West, 16 games behind the division-leading Astros. They currently occupy one of the Wild Card spots, sitting third with a magic number of zero. The Royals are fourth in the AL Central, 22 games behind the Guardians.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Seattle Mariners (-190)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
