*The Boston Red Sox have placed David Price on the DL with an elbow issue according to multiple sources. No replacement starter has been named yet.
The Kansas City Royals are the hottest team in baseball right now. K.C. is riding an eight-game winning streak that has seen the Royals average 7.9 runs per game while batting .324 as a team. K.C. will be looking to continue making up ground in the AL Central when they travel to Fenway Park for a three-game set with the Boston Red Sox.
The series will kick off Friday with a duel of left-handed aces, as Jason Vargas and David Price will take the bump for their respective teams.
Vargas is in the midst of his worst stretch of the season, as the 11-year veteran has a 9.95 ERA in his past three starts while surrendering six home runs after only allowing eight dingers through his first 16 starts. Vargas should take some solace in the fact that he is facing a Red Sox squad that is hitting just .169 while averaging 2.8 runs per game in its past five.
Price has had some inconsistent performances this season but a lengthy 10-game homestand for the Sox could help the southpaw get back on track. Price has a 2.67 ERA in just four starts at Fenway this season compared to a 4.62 ERA in seven road outings.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
The Boston Red Sox were listed as -159 moneyline favorites earlier in the day at Sportsbook, while oddsmakers set the Sportsbook total line around 9 earlier at Sportsbook.
Prediction-scoring formulas run on this game pick a potential 0.2- result in favor of the Red Sox. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming MLB matchups here.
Kansas City Royals vs Boston Red Sox Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Boston Red Sox sport a record of 56-47 heading into this matchup, while the Kansas City Royals sit at 53-47 on the season. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Boston vs Kansas City injuries news.
This game matches up the No. 15 (Boston Red Sox) and the No. 6 (Kansas City Royals) teams, according to our current MLB Power Rankings.
Statistical Matchup
When it comes to getting on base, the visiting Kansas City Royals rank No. 14 at 8.71 hits per game. That compares with the Boston Red Sox No. 7 ranking in that category.
Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping betting factors and Boston has the No. 4-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Royals own the No. 10 mark in runs allowed.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
Kansas City ran up the score in their last game on Wednesday, jumping to a lead and resulting in a 16-2 victory against Detroit.
Boston threw a shutout at Seattle in their last outing, using a shutdown performance by Chris Sale to defeat Seattle 4-0 on Wednesday.
Next Betting Matchups
Kansas City at Boston, Saturday, July 29