Kansas City Royals vs Boston Red Sox Prediction, 7/1/2021 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Kansas City Royals vs Boston Red Sox

Date: Thursday, July 1, 2021

Location: Fenway Park in Boston, MA

TV: NESN

Odds/Point Spread: Kansas City (+155) Boston (-200)

Kris Bubic and the Kansas City Royals (33-45, 5th in AL Central) are headed to Fenway Park on Thursday where they'll take on the Boston Red Sox (49-31, 1st in AL East). The line on this game has the Royals priced at +155 and the Red Sox are at -200. The total is set at 9.5. The starting pitchers are Kris Bubic and Nathan Eovaldi.

As a unit, the Kansas City Royals are notching 4.2 runs per game, which ranks them 20th in MLB. They have 324 runs and hold an OBP of .307. The Royals have earned 110 two-baggers as a squad and have hit 78 balls out of the stadium. They have compiled 308 RBI's as well as 629 base knocks so far this season, and their average at the plate is sitting at .244. Kansas City is slugging .389 and have struck out 632 times, while drawing a walk on 218 occasions.

The Royals have an ERA of 4.90 over the course of the season (27th in MLB), and the staff has rung up 681 batters. They have accumulated a K/BB ratio of 2.18 and the pitching staff has a team WHIP of 1.46. Royals pitchers have given up 95 long balls and 389 runs in total (24th in the league). They have walked 312 hitters and their FIP is 4.47 as a unit so far this season.

Royals relief pitchers have entered the contest with opponents on base 75 times as well as having 71 appearances in high leverage situations. The relievers are sitting with 37 holds this year (16th in the league). The Royals bullpen have recorded a save percentage of 55.2% and has entered the game in 66 save situations. They have tallied 16 saves over the course of the season and have not converted 13 of their 29 save opportunities. The relievers have inherited 119 runners so far this year and 27.7% of those runners ended up scoring. The Royals have dispatched 262 relievers to the mound on the year.

The Royals have turned 67.3% of baseballs in play into outs out of their 6,051 innings on the field, ranking them 28th in pro baseball. The Kansas City Royals have accounted for 2,017 putouts this year, as well as 657 assists and 46 errors. Their fielding percentage is holding at .983 which ranks 19th in pro baseball, and they have twisted 536 double plays.

Bubic has thrown 98 innings and has earned 90 punch outs in his pro baseball career. His ERA is 4.39 (48 ER's allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.485. He has surrendered 100 hits (9.2 hits per nine innings) and has 46 walks. Bubic (3-9 win-loss mark in his career) is the owner of a FIP of 5.08 and he has gone up against 433 batters in the major leagues.

The Boston Red Sox have a team on-base percentage of .322 and a batting average of .260 this season. They have struck out on 704 occasions (14th in MLB) and have a total of 703 base hits. Boston has hit 100 long balls for the year and 381 RBIs. The Red Sox have a team SLG% of .441 and they earn 5.05 runs per contest (3rd in the league). They have tallied 172 doubles, while taking a walk 223 times and earning 404 runs.

The Boston pitching staff have allowed 360 runs this season while holding a team ERA of 4.12 (323 earned runs allowed). They have yielded 82 homers and they relinquish 4.60 runs per 9 innings (16th in baseball). The Red Sox have a team WHIP of 1.404 and are the owners of a FIP of 3.90 as a staff this season. They currently have a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.64 (751 strikeouts against 284 free passes). They are currently ranked 27th in MLB as a staff in total hits relinquished with 706.

With 91 save situations, the Red Sox have 51 holds in addition to 11 blown saves. Boston has had bullpen pitchers step onto the hill in 37 save chances and they have come away with 26 saves. Their relief pitchers have stepped onto the hill 99 times in high leverage situations in addition to 77 occasions with runners on base. Boston relief pitchers hold an inherited score percentage of 29.0% of 124 inherited runners. They rank 6th in MLB holding a save rate of 70.3%, and they have sent 263 relievers to the mound for the year.

In 6,345 innings played, the Red Sox have earned a efficiency on defense of 65.3% (30th in professional baseball). The Boston Red Sox have turned 78 double plays and have a fielding rate of .980 (29th in professional baseball). The Red Sox have recorded 730 assists, 58 errors and have accumulated 2,115 putouts on the season.

Thus far in his career, Eovaldi has conceded 1,103 base hits while accumulating 846 strikeouts in 1,056 innings pitched. Eovaldi (58-60 career mark) is the owner of a 4.22 ERA while conceding 9.4 hits per 9 innings. He has given up 495 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.347 and having a FIP of 3.9. His strikeout to walk ratio is 2.64 and he has faced 4,512 opposing hitters in his MLB career.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Boston (-200)

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