Kansas City Royals vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, 8/19/2023 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds
Game: Kansas City Royals vs Chicago Cubs
Date: Saturday, August 19, 2023
Location: Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL
TV: Marquee
The Kansas City Royals (39-84) are headed to Wrigley Field on Saturday where they will attempt to beat the Chicago Cubs (62-58). The expected starting pitchers are Brady Singer and Justin Steele.
As a squad, the Kansas City Royals are recording 4.0 runs per contest, which puts them at 28th in the league. They have notched a total of 494 runs scored while having a team on-base percentage of .301. The Royals have earned 203 two-baggers as a squad and have hit 120 baseballs out of the park. They have accrued 475 runs batted in in addition to 1,010 hits so far this season, while their average at the plate comes in at .244. Kansas City is slugging .396 and have struck out 1,053 times, while taking a walk on 297 occasions.
Get all of our MLB Betting Picks
The Royals hold a team earned run average of 5.20 this year (28th in the league), and their staff has rung up 957 batters. Royals pitchers have surrendered 152 long balls in addition to 658 runs in total (28th in MLB). Their pitching staff has walked 428 opposing players and their FIP comes in at 4.68 as a unit over the course of the season. Kansas City has yielded 1,093 base hits (9.2 per 9 innings) in addition to 619 earned runs. They have earned a K/BB ratio of 2.24 and the pitching staff holds a collective WHIP of 1.42.
The Royals have sent 402 relievers to the hill so far this season. The relief pitchers have inherited 134 base runners for the season with 40.3% of those players ended up scoring. They have accumulated 17 saves on the campaign and have blown 19 of their 36 save opportunities. The Royals relief pitchers have a save percentage of 47.2% and has entered the game in 83 save situations. The relievers have racked up 47 holds so far this year (28th in MLB). Royals relief pitchers have stepped onto the hill with runners on base 84 times and also have had 102 appearances in high leverage situations.
The Royals have converted 68.3% of baseballs in play into outs out of their 9,648 innings, which has them sitting at 23rd in pro baseball. The Kansas City Royals have accumulated 3,216 putouts at this point in the season, as well as 1,053 assists and 58 errors. Their fielding percentage is at .987 which is 12th in pro baseball, and have 93 double plays.
Singer has pitched in 481 frames and is sitting with 458 strikeouts so far in his MLB career. Singer (27-28 career record) sits with a FIP of 3.86 while he has faced 2,052 hitters in the major leagues. His earned run average is 4.26 (228 earned runs allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.304. He has surrendered 476 base hits (8.9 hits per nine innings) with 152 free passes.
Chicago is sitting with 147 home runs on the year to go along with 580 RBIs. They have recorded 193 doubles, while taking a walk 432 times as well as putting up 604 runs. The Chicago Cubs have accumulated an on-base percentage of .332 as well as a batting average of .254 over the course of the season. The Cubs hold a team slugging percentage of .420 and they are earning 5.03 runs per contest (5th in the league). They have been called out on strikes on 1,079 occasions (10th in MLB) and have earned a total of 1,035 hits.
The Chicago pitching staff have allowed 541 runs for the year while holding an ERA of 4.18 (493 earned runs allowed). They have yielded 135 homers and they concede 4.59 runs per 9 innings (17th in MLB). The Cubs are sitting with a team WHIP of 1.285 with a FIP of 4.24 as a squad on the campaign. Their strikeout to walk ratio comes in at 8.40 (990 strikeouts against 375 free passes). They come in at 13th in baseball as a staff in total hits relinquished with 988.
Chicago has called on relievers to step onto the mound in 32 save chances and they have tallied 22 saves. They rank 7th in the league holding a save rate of 68.8%, and they have dispatched 371 relief pitchers to the hill this year. Their relief pitchers have stepped onto the mound 94 times in high leverage situations and on 94 occasions with runners on. Chicago bullpen pitchers have an inherited score percentage of 28.6% out of 161 inherited base runners. Sitting with 91 save situations, the Cubs have earned 58 holds and also 10 blown saves.
The Chicago Cubs have turned 104 double plays and own a fielding percentage of .986 (16th in pro baseball). The Cubs have accrued 1,100 assists, 62 errors and have 3,183 putouts on the campaign. In their 9,549 innings on the field, the Cubs have accumulated a defensive efficiency of 69.7% (11th in the majors).
During his MLB career, Steele has conceded 281 base hits and he has 305 strikeouts in 302 innings. Steele (21-14 mark in his career) has earned a 3.22 ERA while allowing 8.4 hits per 9 innings. He has given up a total of 108 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.278 and having a FIP of 3.6. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.90 and he has faced 1,283 batters in his career.
Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?
Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Chicago
Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here
Get all of Today's Free MLB Picks
Get all of Today's Expert MLB Picks
Additional Resources:
Chicago Cubs - Twitter
Kansas City Royals - Twitter