The Miami Marlins host the Kansas City Royals on Friday, July 18, 2025. First pitch from loanDepot park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET; the game will be broadcast on FDSFL and MLB.TV.
The Royals enter as -120 favorites on the moneyline, while the Marlins come in at +100 to pull off the upset. The over/under, meanwhile, comes in at 8 total runs.
Find my Royals vs Marlins prediction and MLB betting preview below, as well as probable pitchers, betting trends, injury reports and more.
Royals vs Marlins Prediction
- Royals vs Marlins Pick: Royals ML -120
My Marlins vs. Royals best bet is on Kansas City to win this game. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Royals vs Marlins Odds
| Royals Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Run Line | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +140 | 8 -105o / -115u | -120 |
| Marlins Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Run Line | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -167 | 8 -105o / -115u | +100 |
Royals vs Marlins Projected Starting Pitchers
Royals vs Marlins MLB Betting Preview
By Brit Devine
We should be seeing Seth Lugo take the mound for the Royals in this one, which gives us a starting pitcher matchup heavily in favor of the Royals since Sandy Alcantara is scheduled to pitch for Miami.
Alcantara started the season off horribly after Tommy John surgery before putting together a few decent starts about a month ago. However, he quickly reverted to his early-season form over his past three starts, giving up at least five runs in each game.
Lugo continues to outperform his underlying metrics as a fly-ball pitcher with a deep pitch mix that keeps batters guessing just enough.
After three straight seasons of overperforming his advanced metrics, we eventually have to start to believe that the real-life results he gets are what we should expect.
He has a WHIP under 1.00 on the road this season and gets one of the best run-suppression parks to pitch in at loanDepot Park in Miami.
That hot Miami offense came down to earth before the break, and Lugo should have little issue controlling it while the KC offense gets to Alcantara, who will be out there even if he's pitching badly, as the Marlins need him to figure it out for some trade value.
Royals vs Marlins Pick, Betting Analysis
With Lugo taking on Alcantara, I have this game closer to -150. So, with what I deem to be a big edge, I am betting on Kansas City to win two units.
Pick: Royals ML -120
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Moneyline
My best bet for this game is on the Royals moneyline. Lugo has continually outperformed his metrics, and Alcantara has struggled to figure it out completely this season.
Run Line (Spread)
While I'm betting Kansas City on the moneyline, I'm staying away from the run line in this one.
Over/Under
I don't have a bet on the total number of runs here.
