As the playoffs commence, the duel between the Kansas City Royals (86-76) and the Baltimore Orioles (91-71) for the American League Wild Card Game 1, hosted by Oriole Park at Camden Yards, becomes a single-elimination game giving pointers of thrilling October baseball. Both sides are eyeing moving deeper into the postseason with Baltimore seeking strong hopes of getting a win at home. This is compulsory for all baseball fans, and most importantly this is a perfect game for all those who are looking for the top MLB free picks.
Kansas City Royals vs. Baltimore Orioles 10/01/24 Game Info and Odds |
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| When: | Tuesday, October 1, 2024 at 4:08 PM ET |
| Where: | Oriole Park at Camden Yards |
| Watch: | ESP2, Fubo, MLB.TV |
| Royals odds: | +136 Moneyline |
| Orioles odds: | -148 Moneyline |
| Total Line: | 7 |
Kansas City Royals (86-76) vs. Baltimore Orioles (91-71)
The Royals, entering the postseason with an 86-76 record, have demonstrated resilience but have been plagued by inconsistency in their recent outings. In their last five games, Kansas City managed three wins, notably defeating Atlanta and Washington. Yet, their struggles were evident in their losses, such as the 0-3 defeat to Atlanta on Sep 27, which highlighted their offensive challenges. Further compounding their difficulties, the Royals recently faced a discouraging series against the Detroit Tigers, where they lost all three games, exacerbating concerns about their form and momentum entering the playoffs.
| Kansas City Royals Last 5 Games | |||
| Date | Opponent | Score | SU |
| Sep 29, 2024 | ATL | 4-2 | W |
| Sep 28, 2024 | ATL | 1-2 | L |
| Sep 27, 2024 | ATL | 0-3 | L |
| Sep 26, 2024 | WSH | 7-4 | W |
| Sep 25, 2024 | WSH | 3-0 | W |
In contrast, the Baltimore Orioles have been a formidable force, especially in their recent outings, demonstrating a potent offense and robust pitching. The Orioles wrapped up their regular season on a high note, securing victories in four of their last five games, including commanding wins over Minnesota. Notably, in their previous series against Houston, Baltimore evenly split the results, losing two games and winning two. Though they stumbled in their last game against the Yankees, the Orioles have generally displayed greater consistency compared to the Royals throughout the season.
| Baltimore Orioles Last 5 Games | |||
| Date | Opponent | Score | SU |
| Sep 29, 2024 | MIN | 6-2 | W |
| Sep 28, 2024 | MIN | 9-2 | W |
| Sep 27, 2024 | MIN | 7-2 | W |
| Sep 26, 2024 | NYY | 1-10 | L |
| Sep 25, 2024 | NYY | 9-7 | W |
Cole Ragans (11-9, 3.14 ERA) vs. Corbin Burnes (15-9, 2.92 ERA)
Cole Ragans of the Royals has turned out an admirable performance, recording 11 wins and 9 losses and a 3.14 ERA in the regular season. His control, along with the way he strikes batters out (223 strikeouts in 186.1 innings pitched), has played a great part. However, trying to contain the progressive offense of the Orioles could be a very tall order. To contain Baltimore’s hitters, Ragans will have to use his best arsenal of weapons but, more importantly his strikeouts.
Corbin Burnes for the Orioles would even go down better after presenting the 15-9 record entering the post-season with an ERA of 2.92. Burnes, as shown through 181 strikeouts for 194.1 innings pitched over 31 games, has the ability to dictate games, and such features garner the teams him playing for wins. His ERA and WHIP are low and thus are probably needless to say that he will likely win this pitching duel, possibly with the backing of the home fans.
MLB Odds/Point Spread: Baltimore Orioles -148, Total Odds: 7
Baltimore Orioles are seen to come out ahead in this AL Wild Card game with the moneyline set at -148 due to their strong finish of the season and good previous home games with the Royals. The total in this game is placed at 7 runs, which suggests it should be an evenly fought contest backed by both teams’ work on the recent scoring runs as well as the pitching duel they both bring to the mound.
Kansas City Royals Betting Trends
The Royals have gone UNDER in 6 of their last 7 played games indicating a number of low scoring games suggesting that the royals are struggling at bat. Further, they are also not able to perform well on the road and against Baltimore coming into this game having lost the last 8 games versus the Orioles by 1-7 SU in their last 8 games on the road.
Baltimore Orioles Betting Trends
However, the last 5 games the Orioles have played, 4 of them have gone OVER the TOTAL which is consistent with their current form. Out of the last eight games played against Kansas City at the Camden Yards, The Orioles have won seven of those games which is important psychologically in this matchup.
Kansas City Royals vs. Baltimore Orioles 10/1/24 Betting Picks
The assessment as well as the historical information provides grounds that persuade to stand with the Baltimore Orioles. It is the winning position of the Baltimore Orioles at home facing Kansas City along with Corbin Burnes numbers that make them the favorite in this encounter. The poor form exhibited by the Royals on the road dwell and their hitting problems only aggravate this view of taking Baltimore as the best bet.
In terms of betting strategy, the wise play here would be the talent of the individuals to put their money on the Orioles on the moneyline. Owing to the previous scoring trends of both the teams, the total is seen as going UNDER and this provides a wise wager. This game presents a great chance for those looking for premium game analysis to take advantage of these trends.