Red Sox vs Royals Prediction - MLB Picks 9/2/23

Kansas City Royals (42-94) vs Boston Red Sox (69-66)

Game Info: Saturday, September 2, 2023 at 7:10 pm (Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium)

Alec Marsh (0-7) (5.47) vs Tanner Houck (3-8) (4.93)

Betting Odds: Kansas City Royals +188 / Boston Red Sox -222 --- Over/Under: 10 Click Here for the Latest Odds

The Kansas City Royals will host the Boston Red Sox for game one of their weekend series this Friday from Kauffman Stadium. Kansas City embarrassed Boston in game one by a score of 13-2.

Red Sox Preview & Projected Starter

Boston moved to 69-66 after falling to Kansas City. The Red Sox were spanked last night, and they’ll now look to avoid a sixth straight loss on Saturday. The Boston offense is 4.18 scoring runs per game, while batting .264, with a .331 on-base percentage. The pitching staff carries a 4.89 ERA, with a 1.34 WHIP.

Tanner Houck (3-8, 4.93 ERA, 70 Ks) will get the ball for Boston. The fourth-year pitcher held his own against Los Angeles last time out, holding them to one run thru four innings, but a lack of run support led to his eighth loss. That’s back-to-back defeats for Houck, who hasn’t pitched poorly at all, and after allowing two runs or less in three of his last four starts, he’ll look to get back into win column here in game two.

Red Sox Player Trends & Props

• Rafael Devers plated a run in the game three loss to Houston, and he’s first on the team in HR (29) and RBI (89).

• Justin Turner has produced a run in seven of the previous ten games, and he’s posting strong splits of .287/22/87, with 133 hits.

• Masataka Yoshida had three hits in the game one defeat, and he leads the Sox in hits (134), with splits of .295/13/62.

Royals Preview & Projected Starter

Kansas City comes in at 42-94 after beating Boston. The Royals put it on the Red Sox yesterday, and they’ll look to take control of the series here in game two. The Kansas City offense is scoring 3.62 runs per game, while batting .233, with a .293 on-base percentage. The pitching staff carries a 5.25 ERA, with a 1.43 WHIP.

Alec Marsh (0-7, 5.47 ERA, 59 Ks) will take the hill for Kansas City. The rookie pitcher managed to tie a season-high nine strikeouts in his start in Seattle last time out, but he allowed three runs to the M’s, and took another loss. Marsh pitched identical starts during the Royals’ road trip, and after holding the Sox to two runs in Boston, he’ll attempt to finally climb into the win column this weekend.

Royals Player Trends & Props

• Bobby Witt Jr. homered in the game three loss, and he leads KC in hits (148), home runs (27) and RBI (82).

• Maikel Garcia has collected a hit in six of the previous nine games, and he leads the Royals in batting (.277), with 44 RBI.

• Salvador Perez is second on the team with 19 homers and 57 RBI.

• MJ Melendez has tallied a hit in seven of the last ten games, and he’s posting splits of .231/12/44.

Corey’s Free Pick

Boston failed to show up Saturday, and after dropping five straight at this point in the season, they not only remind us of another Sox team, but they also find themselves in danger and falling out of the playoff races. Versus trusting them to get back into the win column here, I like targeting the magic number with the matchup on the mound. Both young pitchers have had their moments this season, but the Over brings more security than a winner right now between these two struggling clubs.