The Royals will be trying to slam their rivalsl from the other league on Friday, as the Chicago Cubs visit in inter-league play at Kauffman Stadium.

Bruce Chen will take the mound for Kansas City, and he'll carry a 4-1 record into the contest. Ryan Dempster gets the ball for Chicago; he's 5-6 so far this season.



View Chi Cubs vs Kansas City Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
On the Sportsbook MLB line for this matchup, Kansas City sat as -120 favorites. The total was set at 9.

Power Rankings:
According to new MLB Power Rankings here, it's the American League No. 12-ranked Royals and the National League No. 8-rated Cubs in this matchup.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Kansas City's No. 7-rated American League offense, averaging 4.4 runs per game, against a Cubs defense that ranks No. 16 in the National League at 5 in runs allowed per game. The Royals have averaged 9.1 hits per game so far, almost the same as Cubs batters have averaged on the year (9.1 hits per game).

Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and Kansas City has the American League's No. 14-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Cubs own the National League's No. 16 mark in runs allowed.

Last time out for Chicago, they were a 4-3 loser as they battled the White Sox on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the White Sox at -176 were rewarded, while the 7 combined runs moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. Chicago looks to rebound from a loss to the White Sox, who beat them 4-3 on Wednesday behind a start from Jake Peavy at U.S. Cellular Field.

Kansas City lost its last outing, a 5-3 result against the Diamondbacks on June 23. Bettors who backed the Diamondbacks at -108 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (8) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window. The Royals endured a 5-3 loss at the hands of the Diamondbacks on Thursday, with Felipe Paulino throwing 8 innings of 9-hit ball at Kauffman Stadium.


Chicago Cubs Trends:
When playing on Friday are 7-3
Before playing Kansas City are 4-5
After playing Chi White Sox are 3-7
After a loss are 4-6

Kansas City Royals Trends:
When playing on Friday are 2-8
Before playing Chi Cubs are 5-4
After playing Arizona are 5-5
After a loss are 4-6

A few Cubs at Royals trends to consider:
Chi Cubs are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games when playing Kansas City
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi Cubs' last 6 games
Chi Cubs are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games
Chi Cubs are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games on the road
Kansas City is 2-5 SU in their last 7 games when playing Chi Cubs
Kansas City is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home
Kansas City is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games


Next up:
Chi Cubs at Kansas City, Saturday, June 25