Kansas City, MO. – The Kansas City Royals will look to put a halt to their recent skid in the series finale with the San Diego Padres. Cole Ragans will get the nod for the Royals as he looks to improve his record back to above .500 with a win today. Kansas City allowed 18 runs over their last two contests in this series. If they want to turn the tide and pick up a win before hitting the road, they’re going to need better performances from all areas of their pitching. The bullpen has fallen apart in recent games and it has cost the Royals.

The Royals’ recent struggles have pushed them five games behind the Guardians in the race for the AL Central. That is not an un-closable gap, but the Royals will need to pick up a win today heading into a series with the Guardians. The Royals will have two total meetings with the Guardians in June and ultimately, Kansas City has a lot of time and room to come back from their recent struggles. A win in this contest would pull them closer.

1:51 p.m. – Both teams fail to produce a runner in the third inning. There are just two total hits in this contest so far and the pitchers have been playing fantastic. 0-0

1:40 p.m. – Adam Frazier gets the first hit of the day for Kansas City before Nick Loftin hits into an inning ending double play. Both pitchers are working around runners well thus far. 0-0

1:33 p.m. – Ragan’s gave up his first hit of the day but it’s all for not as he shuts down the next three battles to end the half inning. 0-0

1:25 p.m. – All three Royals put the bat on the ball but none of them can open grass for a hit as they go down in order. Bobby Witt Jr had the best chance to get on base but a great defensive effort by Jake Cronenworth kept him off. 0-0

1:19 p.m. – Ragans faced some early struggles with his command, throwing seven total balls to the first two batters and walking one. The result is all that matters though and Ragans closed the inning before Fernando Tatis Jr could move from first. 0-0

1:10 p.m. – The game is underway here as Cole Ragans retires the first batter to get the action started. 0-0

Where: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO.

When: First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. CT. 

TV:  You can watch the game on Bally Sports KC or MLB.TV (blackouts may apply depending on location).

Starting Pitchers

KC – Cole Ragans (4-4, 3.36 ERA)

SD – Michael King (4-4, 4.09 ERA)

Batting Order/Lineup

KC: 1. Maikel Garcia (3B) 2. Bobby Witt Jr. (SS) 3. Vinnie Pasquantino (1B) 4. Salvador Perez (DH) 5. Adam Frazier (RF) 6. Nick Loftin (2B) 7. MJ Melendez (LF) 8. Freddy Fermin (C) 9. Kyle Isbel (CF)

SD: 1. Luis Arraez (1B) 2. Fernando Tatis Jr. (RF) 3. Jurickson Profar (LF) 4. Manny Machado (DH) 5. Donovan Solano (3B) 6. Jake Cronenworth (2B) 7. Ha-Seong Kim (SS) 8. Luis Campusano (C) 9. Jose Azocar (CF)

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The San Diego Padres and the Kansas City Royals meet Sunday in MLB action from Kauffman Stadium. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Kansas City Royals vs San Diego Padres Prediction.

Starting Pitching Matchup

The San Diego Padres will send out Michael King for the start here and King is 4-4 with a 4.09 ERA and 74 strikeouts this season. In his career, King is 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA and 6 strikeouts against the Royals. Cole Ragans will start for the Royals here and is 4-4 with a 3.36 ERA and 83 strikeouts this season. This will be Ragans’ first career start against the Padres.

San Diego Padres Recap

The San Diego Padres come into this one looking to complete the sweep after a 7-3 win over the Royals on Saturday, picking up back-to-back series wins after a series win over the Marlins to start the week.

Padres Starting To Pick It Up Offensively

Jurickson Profar leads the Padres with 67 hits along with a .325 batting average and 10 doubles with 8 homers and 38 RBIs. Jake Cronenworth has 38 RBIs while Fernando Tatis Jr. has belted a team-high 10 home runs this season. Manny Machado has 5 home runs and 29 RBIs but also has 52 strikeouts while Ha-Seong Kim has 45 hits with 3 triples, 6 doubles, 7 home runs, 27 RBIs and a team-high 13 stolen bases. Tatis Jr. also has a team-high 55 strikeouts and 6 stolen bases as well this season.

Why the San Diego Padres will win

• The Padres have won each of their last eight road games against American League opponents.
• The Royals have lost three of their last four games as favorites against NL West opponents.
• The Padres have covered the run line in 12 of their last 13 road games against teams that held a winning record.
• The Royals have failed to cover the run line in seven of their last eight home games against National League opponents.

Kansas City Royals Recap

The Kansas City Royals come into this one looking to salvage something from this series despite having already taken the L in the series after Saturday’s loss which stings for the Royals after a series loss to the Twins earlier in the week.

Royals Having Inconsistencies With Results

Bobby Witt Jr. leads the Royals with 75 hits including 9 home runs, 42 RBIs and team-highs of 6 triples and 16 doubles with 17 stolen bases. Salvador Perez also has a team-high 10 home runs with 41 RBIs and 14 doubles. Nelson Velazquez also has a team-high 54 strikeouts while Maikel Garcia has 5 home runs, 35 RBIs and 13 stolen bases along with 3 triples and 12 doubles this season. Vinnie Pasquantino has 15 doubles with 7 homers and 39 RBIs of his own on the year.

Why the Kansas City Royals will win

• The Royals have won seven of their last nine games at Kauffman Stadium.
• The Padres have lost 13 of their last 17 day games against AL Central opponents.
• The Padres have failed to cover the run line in 16 of their last 17 day games against AL Central opponents.
• The Royals have covered the run line in six of their last seven games as home favorites.
• The Royals have led after 3 innings in each of their last six home day games.

Kansas City Royals vs San Diego Padres Prediction

I’m on the Royals here. I really like what I’ve seen from Cole Ragans in a lot of his recent outings, and Ragans is a pitcher viewed by many to be the staff ace of this Kansas City rotation. Michael King has been wildly inconsistent for the Padres, and it’s not lost on me that the Royals are still one of the best home teams in baseball this season. I’ll side with Kansas City at home here.