Boston pays a visit to Kansas City on Sunday, hoping to shut down the Royals bats in baseball action at Kauffman Stadium.

Boston puts its faith in starter John Lackey to earn a win and boost his personal mark of 7-9. Getting the ball for the Royals is James Shields, who owns a 6-8 record on the season with a 3.36 ERA.



View Boston vs Kansas City Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The Red Sox were listed as +-120 underdogs on the baseball moneyline at many online sportsbooks, including Sportsbook. The total was set at 8 before betting started earlier on Monday over at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings:
The MLB Power Rankings at Odds Shark show the American League's No. 2-rated Red Sox taking on the American League's No. 3-rated Royals in this contest.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Kansas City's No. 10 ranked American League offense (4.1 runs per game) against a Red Sox defense and pitching staff that sits at No. 7 in the American League at 4.2 runs allowed per game. The Royals have been averaging 8.9 hits per game, less than the Red Sox have managed so far this season (9.5 hits on average).

Kansas City owns the American League's No. 2 defense, allowing 3.8 men per game to cross the plate. That contrasts with Boston's American League No. 7-rated defense.

Boston was a 5-3 Sportsbook in its last match on the road against the Royals. They won as -135 favorites, while the total score of 8 made Sportsbooks of UNDER bettors. Boston looks to continue its winning ways following a victory last time out against the Royals, a 5-3 final on Saturday in support of Felix Doubront at Kauffman Stadium.




Boston Red Sox Trends:
When playing on Sunday are 3-7
Before playing Toronto are 6-4
After playing Kansas City are 4-6
After a win are 5-5

Kansas City Royals Trends:
When playing on Sunday are 3-7
Before playing Miami are 6-3
After playing Boston are 5-5
After a loss are 5-5

A few Red Sox at Royals trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston's last 7 games when playing Kansas City
Boston is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Boston's last 12 games on the road
Boston is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Kansas City
Kansas City is 15-3 SU in its last 18 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Kansas City's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Kansas City's last 5 games at home
Kansas City is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Boston


Next up:
Boston at Toronto, Tuesday, August 13
Kansas City home to Miami, Monday, August 12