13th Sept - Royals vs Orioles

It’s been a mediocre period of play for the Kansas City Royals, but they appeared to have snapped out of some of their challenges on Saturday when they scored 14 runs in a big win over the Baltimore Orioles.

However, pitcher Johnny Cueto must now aim to snap a losing streak of his own. Cueto is 0-4 with a 9.45 ERA in his last four outings after posting a 1.80 ERA and 2-1 record in his first four starts for the Royals. He was acquired from the Cincinnati Reds on July 26.

The Royals have all but locked up the AL Central division, but they will want to see both their hitters and pitching staff playing well as they hit the postseason. They were a fairytale story one year ago, but they won’t sneak up on anyone in 2015.

The Orioles had a mini-three game winning streak snapped on Saturday night. They’d beaten the Yankees and Royals in that streak and had played some useful baseball. Still, there’s an imbalance in this roster and it’ll be interesting to see what manager Buck Showalter does in terms of experimentation with a slightly extended roster over the next few weeks.

Wei-Yin Chen is on the mound tonight for Baltimore. He has a good record against Kansas City and has won his last two starts against the NL Central leaders. He left his last game without a decision after giving up five runs over five innings against the Yankees.

Three Reasons for Betting Tips

1. Royals’ hitting

The hitting looked good in their last match-up and has gradually been coming around for Kansas City. We’re expecting another strong run of form for that group just in time for the postseason.

2. Cueto hits form

He’s had a poor stretch of starts, but we think that Cueto will get some scoring help and will round out his own form in this game. He’s a high quality pitcher and potential ace and it’s just a matter of time before he starts playing better.

3. Good odds

The Royals and Cueto’s form means that near even odds can be gained on the Royals Money Line. We think it’s also a pretty safe extra bet to look for this win to come by more than a single run.