Royals vs Blue Jays Prediction - MLB Picks 9/8/23

Toronto Blue Jays (77-63) vs Kansas City Royals (44-97)

Game Info: Friday, September 8, 2023 at 7:07 pm (Rogers Centre)

Yusei Kikuchi (9-5) (3.63) vs Collin Snider (0-0) (4.22)

Betting Odds: Toronto Blue Jays -185 / Kansas City Royals +150 --- Over/Under: 9 Click Here for the Latest Odds

The Kansas City Royals will head to Canada to begin a three-game set with the Toronto Blue Jays this Friday from the Rogers Centre.

Royals Preview & Projected Starter

Kansas City comes in at 44-97 after taking two of three from Chicago. The Royals couldn’t complete the sweep on Wednesday, and they’ll look to steal a few games from the Jays this weekend. 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.

Collin Snider (9-5, 3.63 ERA, 152 Ks) is set to open the game for Kansas City. The second-year reliever has been solid in his role this season, holding teams scoreless in eight of his last eleven appearances. The Vanderbilt product has allowed a run in only one of five road outings, and he’ll look to get KC off to a good start this Friday.

Royals Player Trends & Props

• Bobby Witt Jr. returned to the lineup with a RBI double in the game two victory, and he leads KC in hits (153), home runs (28) and RBI (85).

• Maikel Garcia has totaled multiple bases in five of the last six games, and he leads the Royals in batting (.284), with 48 RBI.

• Salvador Perez has produced a run in three of the last five games, and he’s second on the team with 21 homers and 62 RBI.

• MJ Melendez homered in the game two win, and he’s posting splits of .239/14/48.

Blue Jays Preview & Projected Starter

Toronto enters at 77-63 after taking two of three from Oakland. The Blue Jays also failed to complete the sweep on Wednesday, and they’ll need to get back in the win column soon if they’d like to stay in the fierce AL Wild Card picture. The Toronto offense is scoring 4.85 runs per game, while batting .262, with a .331 on-base percentage. The pitching staff carries a 3.80 ERA, with a 1.26 WHIP.

Yusei Kikuchi (9-5, 3.63 ERA, 152 Ks) will get the call for Toronto. The fifth-year pitcher put together his best outing of the season in Los Angeles last week, striking out eight thru six innings, while holding the Dodgers to one run to earn his eighth win of the season. Kikuchi has returned from the break in nice form, as he preceded the effort in LA with a strong revenge spot in Seattle. Kikuchi did suffer his first loss of the season to the O’s at home back in May, and he only lasted 4.2 innings in a rematch in Baltimore, so it will be interesting to see if he can fox those fortunes here.

Blue Jays Player Trends & Props

• Vlad Guerrero Jr. has produced a run in six of the last nine games, and he leads Toronto in RBI (82), with 21 homers.

• George Springer has totaled multiple bases in four of the previous five games, and he’s posting splits of .262/17/59.

• Whit Merrifield has plated a run in four of the last five games, and he’s batting .286, with 61 RBI.

Corey’s Free Pick

These are games Toronto has to capitalize on at this point in this season, and with their placement in the playoff picture. The Blue Jays are an impressive fourteen games above .500, but they’re going to be in a fight with Seattle and Texas down to the final week for the final two playoff spots. Kansas City has flashed glimpses of what they could be over the past four weeks, so we have a pair of angles here. Trusting Toronto to cover in arguably a must-win situation is possible, but there’s a bit more value on the total, and with both squads making contact right now, they may be able to clear the magic number for us here in game one. Back the Over for this battle of blues.