Red Sox at Royals Preview & Prediction - Friday, June 18

 

The Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals are in different spots in the American League. The Red Sox are still in the division and Wild Card conversation. The Royals have already begun the dog days of summer in 2021. 

Boston is two games out of first place. The Royals are 11.5 games back in the American League Central. The AL Central has been one of the worst divisions in baseball. Boston and Kansas City will compete in a three-game series starting on Friday.

The first pitch on Friday is scheduled for 8:10 PM ET from Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

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Boston Red Sox Preview

The Red Sox have played better than anyone would have expected in 2021. Boston was expected to be a back-of-the-pack team in the American League East. However, they have rewritten this narrative and are right behind the Rays for first place.

Tampa Bay is in trouble after losing Tyler Glasnow for an extended period with an elbow injury. Boston has been great at the plate and on the hill. They are batting .255 this season as a team with a .316 OBP. They’re sure to be favorites all weekend at online sportsbooks.

The Red Sox have won with the long ball thanks to players like Rafael Devers and J.D. Martinez. The team has combined for 85 bombs. Devers leads the group with 16 homers in 2021.

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Kansas City Royals Preview

The Royals started the season with a bang. However, nobody expected them to be a threat in the American League Central. This prediction came to fruition after a few weeks of action. The squad has no chance of winning the central or claiming a Wild Card spot.

However, the future is bright for the team because of prospects like Bobby Witt Jr. The Royals have a decent lineup, but nobody has seemed to get hot at the right time. The team is averaging .241 at the plate with a .305 OBP.

Weak pitching and offensive mistakes have disrupted the franchise’s success throughout the year. This comes with being young and inexperienced. Kansas City will have a difficult task with Boston over the weekend.

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The Matchup

Each team has comparable hitting metrics but pitching heavily favors the Red Sox. The matchup on Friday is lopsided. Nick Pivetta will pitch for Boston against Jackson Kowar for the Royals.

Pivetta has stepped up in 2021. He has given his team a chance to win, but he has not been phenomenal. He’s been a sneaky play for handicappers pick services. The pitcher is 6-2, but he has a 4.28 ERA and 33 walks. Nevertheless, I will take Pivetta over Kowar, who has only thrown two innings this season in the show.

Kowar has a 36.00 ERA in two innings. This will come down as he pitches more, but his last outing was horrendous. He threw 1.1 innings against the A’s on June 12.

Kowar gave up four runs on five hits with three walks. I expect the Red Sox lineup to feast off Kowar on Friday. This will likely be a bullpen game for Kansas City, but Boston could do damage early.

Early runs will lead the Red Sox to victory on Friday night.