On Wednesday, the Kansas City Royals host a Toronto Blue Jays team that has really flipped a switch since the middle of May. The Blue Jays are playing some great baseball right now and have won 11 of their last 13 games.
Will Kansas City pick up a win with Brady Singer, the team’s top-ranked prospect in 2019, on the mound? Keep reading our Blue Jays vs. Royals MLB picks and predictions to find out.
Blue Jays vs Royals odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
After earning a win last night, the Blue Jays opened as -144 favorites in Kansas City for this one. Now, Toronto can be found anywhere between -137 and -155.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until first pitch and be sure to check out the full MLB odds before placing your bets.
Blue Jays vs Royals predictions
Picks made on 6/8/2022 at 12:00 a.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Blue Jays vs Royals game info
• Location: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO
• Date: Wednesday, June 8, 2022
• First pitch: 2:10 p.m. ET
• TV: Sportsnet, Bally Sports
Blue Jays vs Royals betting preview
Starting pitchers
Yusei Kikuchi (2-2, 3.91 ERA): Kikuchi hasn’t looked great in his last three outings, as he has given up eight earned runs over his last 14 innings. The lefty has also given up 16 hits in his last 9 2-3 innings, so hitters aren’t having much trouble making contact against him. Kikuchi does, however, have a 3.63 ERA in five road starts, so he could be a little more comfortable pitching outside of Toronto. Two of his last three starts came at Rogers Centre.
Brady Singer (2-1, 4.15 ERA): Singer has had a good year for the Royals, but he did get shelled in his last outing. The righty gave up seven earned runs on eight hits in five innings of work against the Houston Astros, and he also gave up three homers in that game. It will be interesting to see how the 25-year-old bounces back, but he’ll need to keep the ball in the park against a Blue Jays team that has a lot of power.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Blue Jays: Hyun-Jin Ryu P (Out), Tim Mayza P (Out), Ryan Borucki P (Out), Nate Pearson P (Out).
Royals: Gabe Speier P (Out), Brad Peacock P (Out), Zack Greinke P (Out), Amir Garrett P (Out), Michael A. Taylor OF (Out), Edward Olivares OF (Out), Cam Gallagher C (Out), Adalberto Mondesi SS (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Royals are 15-37 in their last 52 games. Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. Royals
Blue Jays vs Royals picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Moneyline analysis
Kikuchi has run into some trouble in his last few starts, but the lefty now has a prime match-up against the Royals.
Kansas City, which has scored three or fewer runs in seven of its last nine games, has the third-worst on-base plus slugging in the league against left-handed pitching this year.
Also, only three teams in the league have a worse weighted runs created against southpaws than the Royals in 2022, so this just isn’t a lineup that is producing against lefties. That means that it should line up for Kikuchi to bounce back.
As for the Blue Jays, the team is currently Top 10 in slugging percentage, isolated power, and weighted runs created against right-handed pitching.
With that in mind, the team should be able to put a big number on the scoreboard against Singer. The 25-year-old has had some good performances for the Royals this year, but he is still a little green and lacking in consistency. He also gave up three homers in his last start, and this Blue Jays team has a lot of players that pack a punch.
With the way the team is playing of late, Toronto should win this game. Don't be surprised if they do so easily.
Prediction: Blue Jays moneyline (-131 at WynnBET)
Over/Under analysis
Kikuchi can really use a matchup like this one, as he needs to build his confidence back up after a rough outing against the Minnesota Twins.
However, with Toronto doing much of the heavy-lifting, I'd still lean towards the Over. If the Royals can get to three or so runs in this game, it's hard to see it not exceed this total. The Jays have had a ton of success against righties in 2022, which is why they have a team total of 4.5 today (more on that later).
Five of Kikuchi’s last eight starts have seen the two teams combining to score more than eight runs, and the same can be said about each of Singer’s last three outings. The Over is also 10-2-1 in Toronto’s last 13 road games against right-handed starters and is 12-6 in the last 18 games the Royals have played.
Prediction: Over 8 (-125 at Caesars)
Best bet
The Blue Jays are scorching hot at the plate right now, having scored six or more runs in nine of their last 10 games.
Toronto is bound to cool off at some point, but it’s just hard to see this being the matchup in which that happens. The Jays have had no trouble scoring against right-handed pitching this season, and Singer could be a little down after his last outing.
Considering the righty gave up three homers last game, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that Toronto will send one or two balls into the bleachers here. If that’s the case, it’s going to be hard for this Over not to hit.
Pick: Blue Jays team total Over 4.5 (-122 at Unibet)
