The Kansas City Royals host the Milwaukee Brewers on April 4, 2026. First pitch from Kauffman Stadium is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1.
The Brewers are favored by -115 on the moneyline and by -1.5 on the run line. The Royals are -105 on the moneyline and +1.5 on the run line. The total is set at 8.5 runs.
Find my MLB picks and Brewers vs Royals prediction below, as well as probable pitchers, weather report, and more.
Brewers vs Royals Prediction
- Brewers vs Royals Pick: Brewers ML (-115 | Play to -130)
My Brewers vs Royals best bet is on Milwaukee to win outright. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Brewers vs Royals Odds
| Brewers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +150 | 8.5 -120o / 100u | -115 |
| Royals Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -185 | 8.5 -120o / 100u | -105 |
- Brewers vs Royals spread: Brewers -1.5 (+150), Royals +1.5 (-185)
- Brewers vs Royals over/under: 8.5 (-120o / +100u)
- Brewers vs Royals moneyline: Brewers -115, Royals -105
Brewers vs Royals Projected Starting Pitchers
| RHP Chad Patrick (MIL) | Stat | RHP Luinder Avila (KC) |
|---|---|---|
| 0-0 | W-L | (Season debut) |
| 0.0 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | |
| 2.08 / 3.42 | ERA / xERA | |
| 5.03 / 4.41 | FIP / xFIP | |
| 1.38 | WHIP | |
| 15.8 | K-BB% | |
| 28.6 | GB% | |
| 95 | Stuff+ | |
| 116 | Location+ |
Brewers vs Royals Preview
Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers, who won the most games in MLB last year, are off to a 5-1 start in 2026.
This Milwaukee squad flashes many of the same qualities as last year's. The Brewers exhibit elite plate discipline, walking 13.3% of the time and striking out just 19% — both are top five in MLB. That gives Milwaukee a 135 wRC+, good for the third-best in the sport.
There isn't a real "star" on this Brewers team. It's more a sum of the parts than anything else. Brice Turang leads Milwaukee with a 238 wRC+, and four other players have a wRC+ better than 110. Seeing Christian Yelich hit well is a nice positive. The former MVP is averaging .381 with a 166 wRC+.
Taking the mound this afternoon is Chad Patrick, a 27-year-old hurler in his second big league campaign. Nothing about his stuff is overwhelming, but he throws three fastball variations to keep opponents off balance.
His cutter is his bread and butter, and he sits at 94 mph on a four-seamer, but also throws a sinker to induce groundball outs.
Patrick's issue is a lack of a true put-away breaking ball. He throws a slurve, but none of his breaking ball offerings are up to snuff. In his season-opener, he tossed 4 and 1/3 innings with five hits and four strikeouts against the White Sox.
The good news? All Patrick needs to do is go five or six innings. The Brewers' pen is downright filthy. They have a few lefties in Jared Koenig, DL Hall and Aaron Ashby to neutralize left-handed bats and even righties. Plus, Grant Anderson is the main bridge right-hander, and he boasts a 0.00 ERA.
It all sets up for flamethrowers Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill to shut the door in the eighth and ninth innings.
Kansas City Royals
The Royals initially slated Michael Wacha for this game, but rookie Luinder Avila will draw the start after Wacha came down with an illness.
Avila made his MLB debut last year, tossing 14 innings out of the bullpen to the tune of a 1.29 ERA. He held opponents to a .143 BAA, but this will be his first MLB start.
Throwing strikes is a real landmine for Avila. He walked 3.86 batters per nine in the bigs last year, and he walked two batters in three innings in his opening season start for AAA Omaha.
For one, how many innings will Avila give? He pitched out of the pen for Team Venezuela in the WBC, en route to winning the tournament. So, I doubt he's built up to a full starter's pitch count, but with a twin bill on Saturday, he'll need to cover some length.
Through six games, the Royals' offense has been lifted by three players: Jac Caglianone, Isaac Collins and Maikel Garcia. So, it makes sense for Kansas City to be 17th in wRC+ with Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez, and Vinnie Pasquantino posting a below league-average wRC+.
Witt Jr. will contend for MVP this year. So, he'll hit soon enough, and that'll likely vault Kansas City to being a top-10 offense in the sport. But for now, the Royals have struggled a bit.
Bullpen-wise, the advantage rests in the Brewers' hands. Closer Carlos Estevez pitched one game, gave up six runs, and was placed on the injured list. Now, it's Lucas Erceg, Matt Strahm, and a bunch of questionable bullpen arms.
Brewers vs Royals Picks
Everything here points towards the Brewers. Avila is unknown, and relievers will likely have to cover five or six innings — a bullpen that I already don't trust.
Plus, the Brewers' lineup is just flat out better.
I just view Milwaukee as a great play in this spot.
Pick: Brewers ML (-115, BetMGM | Play to -130)
