The visiting Athletics hope for a solid performance on Wednesday as they look to steal a win at Kauffman Stadium against the Kansas City Royals.

Kansas City sends Will Smith out against Brandon McCarthy for the Athletics in this game. Smith is 3-4 with a 5.48 ERA on the season, while McCarthy is 6-3 on the year and has a 2.68 ERA.



View Oakland vs Kansas City Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The visitors opened as 106 moneyline favorites in this one at most online sportsbooks tracked at Odds Shark. The total opened at 8.5 for those preferring over under wagers.

Power Rankings:
The MLB Power Rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Royals rated this week at No. 8 and the Athletics sitting at No. 11.



How They Match Up:
Rating these teams in several key categories is important for handicappers and Kansas City has the American League's No. 11-rated offensive output, at 9.3 hits per game. The Athletics average 7.8 hits per game, good for No. 13 on the American League list.

Kansas City owns the American League's No. 11 defense, allowing 4.6 men per game to cross the plate. That contrasts with Oakland's American League No. 2-rated defense.

The Athletics were a 5-0 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Royals. That made winners of bettors who got Kansas City at -112 on the moneyline, while the total score (5) was good news for UNDER bettors. Oakland didn't plate a single run in their last outing, shut down by Jeremy Guthrie in a losing cause, 5-0, against Kansas City on Tuesday.




Oakland Athletics Trends:
When playing on Wednesday are 5-5
Before playing Kansas City are 3-7
After playing Kansas City are 6-4
After a loss are 6-4

Kansas City Royals Trends:
When playing on Wednesday are 6-4
Before playing Oakland are 6-4
After playing Oakland are 4-6
After a win are 4-6

A few Athletics at Royals trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Oakland's last 7 games when playing on the road against Kansas City
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Oakland's last 8 games when playing Kansas City
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Oakland's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oakland's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Kansas City's last 7 games when playing at home against Oakland
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Kansas City's last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Kansas City's last 8 games when playing Oakland
Kansas City is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games


Next up:
Oakland at Kansas City, Thursday, August 16