The Kansas City Royals host the Baltimore Orioles on April 22, 2026. First pitch from Kauffman Stadium is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. EDT. The game will be broadcast on ROYL.
The Royals are favored by -124 on the moneyline and by -1.5 on the run line. The Orioles are +106 on the moneyline and +1.5 on the run line. The total is set at 9 runs.
Find my MLB picks and Orioles vs Royals prediction below, as well as probable pitchers, weather report, and more.
Orioles vs Royals Prediction
- Orioles vs Royals Pick: Orioles ML (+100 or Better)
My Orioles vs Royals best bet is on Baltimore to win. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Orioles vs Royals Odds
| Orioles Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -200 | 9 -122o / -100u | +106 |
| Royals Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +164 | 9 -122o / -100u | -124 |
- Orioles vs Royals moneyline: Orioles +106, Royals -124
- Orioles vs Royals over/under: 9 (-122o / -100u)
- Orioles vs Royals spread: Royals -1.5 (+164), Orioles +1.5 (-200)
Orioles vs Royals Pitchers
| Chris Bassitt (RHP, BAL) | Stat | Michael Wacha (RHP, KCR) |
|---|---|---|
| 0-2 | W-L | 2-0 |
| -0.1 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | 0.6 |
| 6.19 / 5.64 | ERA / xERA | 1.00 / 3.44 |
| 5.70 / 6.43 | FIP / xFIP | 3.39 / 3.95 |
| 2.13 | WHIP | 0.78 |
| -4.8% | K-BB% | 15.3% |
| 45.9% | GB% | 35.9% |
| 97 | Stuff+ | 100 |
| 96 | Location+ | 102 |
Orioles vs Royals MLB Betting Preview
The Orioles are in third place in the AL East, trailing the Yankees and Rays.
They’ll look to pick up even more ground against a Royals squad that has the MLB’s worst record.
Chris Bassitt signed a lucrative one-year deal to give this Orioles rotation a boost. However, it's been a real struggle for the veteran righty, posting a 6.19 ERA across 16 innings. The underlying numbers are also ugly (5.64 xERA, 5.70 FIP).
Why do the peripherals dislike Bassitt? Well, he strikes out just 3.94 batters per nine while walking 6.19 per nine.
Could this be a small sample issue? Sure.
His current BB/9 is almost triple what it was a season ago, and his K/9 is a third of what it was. If he starts to locate better, I expect Bassitt to have fewer walks, leading to better underlying numbers.
Even with the struggles, Bassitt remains one of the league’s best soft contact artists. He ranks in the 90th percentile among qualified pitchers in barrel rate, 83rd in hard-hit rate, and 81st in average exit velocity.
The Orioles' lineup is just below league-average, ranking 19th among MLB lineups with a 98 wRC+. They work opposing pitchers' pitch counts, as they strike out 25% of the time and walk 11% of the time.
Baltimore also got a nice shot in the arm with Adley Rutschman returning from injury. The former All-Star is back in form, boasting a 146 wRC+.
He is one of six Orioles with a wRC+ better than 100. Two of the ones you'd expect up there are Pete Alonso and Gunner Henderson, but Alonso has a 90 wRC+, while Henderson has a 108.
The Royals are by far baseball’s most disappointing team. They have a 7-17 record and even drew the ire of home fans, who booed them after losing on Monday.
One of the few bright spots is veteran starter Michael Wacha, who has a 3-0 record with a 1.00 ERA.
But that won't last. Wacha has a 3.44 xERA and a 3.39 FIP, pointing to real regression. His strand rate is 99%, which is impossible to maintain.
Hitting is the major problem for Kansas City, as it ranks 28th among MLB lineups with an 83 wRC+. Jac Caglianone leads the Royals with a 113 wRC+, but just three players on the roster have a wRC+ better than 100.
Bobby Witt Jr. is one of them, as he has a 106 wRC+. The issue is that many thought Witt Jr. would contend for MVP, not be the third-best hitter on his own team.
Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino have been close to automatic outs, posting a combined 39 wRC+.
Orioles vs Royals Pick, Betting Analysis
The Royals just won't have a good lineup if three of their four best hitters play well below their talent level.
Meanwhile, I’m buying some Bassitt stock.
I don’t see a huge gap between Bassitt and Wacha despite the numbers telling a different story.
Give me the plus money on Baltimore.
Pick: Orioles ML (+100 or Better)
