Baseball betting stays focused on inter-league play on Sunday as the Royals of Kansas City swing away against the Pirates of Pittsburgh.

The Pirates will rely on AJ Burnett to turn in a quality outing on the mound in this one, while Bruce Chen will be his counterpart for the Royals. AJ Burnett is 5-2 this season, and Bruce Chen is 5-5.



View Kansas City vs Pittsburgh Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Sportsbooks had installed the Pirates as -135 moneyline favorites in this particular MLB matchup. The total, meanwhile, was set early at 7 before betting started to move the line.

Power Rankings:
The Pirates sit at No. 15 in the National League in the current MLB power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Royals sit at an American League No. 8 on the same chart.



How They Match Up:
At the plate, Pittsburgh owns the No. 16 ranking for hits in the National League at 7.3 per game. By contrast, the Royals are rated No. 3 in the same category at 8.9 per game.

Comparing defensive stats, Kansas City owns the American League's No. 2-rated road mark, allowing 3.7 runs per game on the highway. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, rates No. 16 in scoring at home.

The Royals were a 5-3 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Pirates. That made winners of bettors who got Pittsburgh at -146 on the moneyline, while the total score (8) was good news for OVER bettors. The Royals endured a 5-3 loss at the hands of the Pirates on Saturday, with Vincent Mazzaro throwing 3 innings of 3-hit ball at PNC Park.




Kansas City Royals Trends:
When playing on Sunday are 4-6
Before playing Milwaukee are 5-5
After playing Pittsburgh are 5-5
After a loss are 6-4

Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Sunday are 2-8
Before playing Baltimore are 4-5
After playing Kansas City are 3-7
After a win are 7-3

A few Royals at Pirates trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Kansas City's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Kansas City's last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Kansas City's last 5 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Kansas City's last 6 games
Pittsburgh is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home
Pittsburgh is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Kansas City


Next up:
Kansas City home to Milwaukee, Tuesday, June 12
Pittsburgh at Baltimore, Tuesday, June 12