The Athletics host the Kansas City Royals on April 29, 2026. First pitch from Sutter Health Park is scheduled for 9:40 p.m. EDT. The game will be broadcast on ROYL.
The Athletics are favored by -130 on the moneyline and by 1.5 on the run line. The Royals are +110 on the moneyline and +1.5 on the run line. The total is set at 10 runs.
Find my MLB picks and Royals vs Athletics prediction below, as well as probable pitchers, weather report, and more.
Royals vs Athletics Prediction
- Royals vs Athletics Pick: Royals Moneyline
My Royals vs Athletics best bet is on Royals moneyline. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Royals vs Athletics Odds
| Royals Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -188 | 10 -105o / -115u | +110 |
| Athletics Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +155 | 10 -105o / -115u | -130 |
- Royals vs Athletics moneyline: Royals +110, Athletics -130
- Royals vs Athletics over/under: 10 (-105o / -115u)
- Royals vs Athletics spread: Royals +1.5 (-188), Athletics -1.5 (+155)
Royals vs Athletics Probable Pitchers
| Michael Wacha, RHP | Stat | Luis Severino, RHP |
|---|---|---|
| 2-1 | W-L | 1-2 |
| 0.7 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | 0.2 |
| 2.51 / 4.62 | ERA / xERA | 5.17 / 5.21 |
| 3.62 / 4.19 | FIP / xFIP | 4.94 / 4.66 |
| 14.6% | K-BB% | 8.0% |
| 31.7% | GB% | 40.7% |
| .210 | BABIP | .308 |
| 99 | Stuff+ | 107 |
| 104 | Location+ | 95 |
Royals vs Athletics MLB Betting Preview
Kansas City Royals Betting Preview
After his sparkling numbers were tarnished by a brutal six-run outing against the Orioles last week, Michael Wacha will look to rebound on six days of rest when he takes on the Athletics in the second game of this mid-week series.
The veteran righty has continued to attempt to pitch around average strikeout numbers with a large complement of fly balls, and while that's caused him to yield three homers in five starts, it's also helped keep his Expected Batting Average in a good place, sitting just four points above the league average of .243.
Putting it all together, you may not find a pitcher that is closer to average than Wacha. His strikeout and walk rates are nothing noteworthy, and you're not going to see a huge number of hits against him. His trouble isn't likely to come in the form of some scary innings; it's more likely to be via the long ball or any kind of extra base hit when you consider his .466 xSLG.
One thing to watch out for is the fact that Wacha's allowed a ton more hard-hit balls this season, and it's only been an extreme fly ball rate of 34.5% — 10 points higher than average — that's helped him to some good results. The fences have moved in at his home park, however, and in Sacramento, the ball is known to fly as well — so there could be more fatal blows off Wacha in the coming weeks and months.
Athletics Betting Preview
Luis Severino is sort of like Wacha in the sense that he's tried to tailor his game towards contact in the air with waning strikeout numbers in his latter years, but the comparison probably ends there. The righty is highly volatile, and this season he's proven that again by running a 15.3% walk rate that's starting to become a concerning trend — albeit he did finally settle down last time out.
Severino's expected numbers really don't look all that scary — he's at a .247 xBA like Wacha with a friendlier .430 xSLG, but it's the continued number of hard-hit balls and barrels that have to give you pause, especially considering he's currently pitching in Sacramento.
The strikeouts have actually come up a hair this season, and he is coming off a strong World Baseball Classic, so perhaps there is another chapter to be written for the 32-year-old, but he'll need to maintain those gains, limit the walks, and find some friendlier fly balls for his outfield to deal with. The good news is that his Pull Air% remains in a good spot, so perhaps home runs won't bite him as much, but it doesn't change the fact that he's prone to give up extra bases.
Royals vs Athletics Pick, Betting Analysis
The Athletics' offense may pack a punch in theory, but at the moment, things aren't so good. They sit 23rd in wRC+, and on Tuesday, they not only placed starting third baseman Max Muncy on the IL but also appeared to lose Tyler Soderstrom to a minor injury at least for this game.
This is a team that has hit just .240 with a .147 Isolated Power this year, and if you strip away the boost it gets from walks, things look even more dire. Wacha's not likely to walk many, and as a fly-ball pitcher, he has an advantage here against a team that has ranked 21st in OPS to those types as opposed to 17th against ground-ballers.
Without much power, and a depleted lineup, I like Wacha quite a bit in this spot — as much as you can like him in a home run-happy park. I'm less hot on Severino, who draws a Royals offense that's actually recorded a higher ISO than the Athletics and which has walked at a 9.8% clip.
That should make it tough on Severino to lower his walk rate, and the reverse is true about Kansas City, which much prefers fly-ball pitchers.
Pick: Royals ML (+108) | Play to -105
