Blue Jays vs. Royals Prediction, Computer Picks, Odds & Pitching Matchup 7/17/2022

Bo Bichette is on the brink of his 100th hit of the season for the Toronto Blue Jays (49-43) as they get set to take on the Kansas City Royals (36-55) on Sunday. The Blue Jays enter the matchup as -332 favorites on the moneyline, and action gets underway from Rogers Centre at 12:05 PM ET. Toronto’s Jose Berrios and Kansas City’s Kris Bubic have been named the starters for this contest.

Blue Jays vs. Royals Spread and Betting Line

Computer Predictions for Blue Jays vs. Royals

Our best bet is the Royals on the moneyline at +264 after taking a look at all of the key stats and trends for this matchup. Our computer projects the scoring will over the total of 9 runs.

Our computer pick: Kansas City Royals (+264) and Over (9)

Blue Jays vs. Royals Game Info

• Toronto Blue Jays probable starting pitcher: José Berríos
• Kansas City Royals probable starting pitcher: Kris Bubic
• Game Day: Sunday, July 17, 2022
• Game Time: 12:05 PM ET
• Location: Toronto, Ontario
• Stadium: Rogers Centre

Toronto Blue Jays vs Kansas City Royals Pitching Matchup

Blue Jays Starter José Berríos

• Berrios (7-4 with a 5.38 ERA and 86 strikeouts in 95 1/3 innings pitched) gets the start for the Blue Jays, his 19th of the season.
• His most recent appearance was on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Phillies, when the right-hander threw 6 2/3 innings, surrendering three earned runs while allowing six hits.
• The 28-year-old has a 5.38 ERA and 8.1 strikeouts per nine innings in 18 games this season, while allowing a batting average of .278 to opposing hitters.
• Berrios is aiming for his third straight quality start.
• Berrios will try to build on a four-game streak of going five or more innings (he’s averaging 5.1 innings per appearance).
• He will face off against a Royals offense that is batting .243 as a unit (13th in MLB). It is also slugging a collective .378 (24th in MLB) with 75 total home runs (25th in MLB).
• The 28-year-old’s 5.38 ERA ranks 61st, 1.364 WHIP ranks 53rd, and 8.1 K/9 ranks 36th among qualifying pitchers this season.

Royals Starter Kris Bubic

• The Royals will send Bubic (1-6) to the mound for his 14th start this season.
• The left-hander gave up three earned runs and allowed eight hits in 5 2/3 innings pitched against the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday.
• The 24-year-old has an ERA of 6.79, a 1.382 strikeout to walk ratio and a WHIP of 1.859 in 14 games this season.
• In 13 starts this season, he’s earned a quality start in one of them.
• Bubic will look to pitch five or more innings for the third start in a row.
• The Blue Jays have scored 424 runs this season, which ranks ninth in MLB. They have 823 hits, second in baseball, with 118 home runs (sixth in the league).

Blue Jays Betting Picks & Insights

• The Blue Jays have been favorites in 73 games this season and won 40 (54.8%) of those contests.
• Toronto has played as a favorite of -332 or more twice this season and split those games.
• The Blue Jays have a 76.9% chance to win this game based on the implied probability of the moneyline.
• Toronto and its opponents have gone over the total this season in 51 of their 91 opportunities.
• In 91 games with a spread this season, the Blue Jays are 38-53-0 ATS.

Royals Betting Picks & Insights

• The Royals have been chosen as underdogs in 76 games this year and have walked away with the win 29 times (38.2%) in those games.
• Kansas City has a win-loss record of 1-2 when favored by +264 or worse by bookmakers this year.
• The moneyline set for this matchup implies the Royals have a 27.5% chance of walking away with the win.
• Kansas City and its opponents have gone over the total this season in 45 of their 94 opportunities.
• The Royals are 43-51-0 against the spread in their 94 games that had a posted line this season.

Blue Jays Leaders & Batting Stats

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. paces the Blue Jays with 20 home runs and 57 runs batted in.
• Including all MLB hitters, Guerrero ranks 53rd in batting average, 47th in on-base percentage, and 26th in slugging.
• Guerrero carries a two-game hitting streak into this matchup. During his last five outings he is hitting .300 with a double, a home run, a walk and three RBI.
• George Springer has 14 doubles, two triples, 17 home runs and 33 walks while hitting .250.
• Springer ranks 24th in home runs and 64th in RBI in the majors.
• Springer has two games in a row with at least one hit. During his last five outings he is hitting .250 with two walks and two RBI.
• Alejandro Kirk paces the Blue Jays with a team-high batting average of .316.
• Kirk has at least one base hit in five games in a row. In his last five games he is batting .400 with a double, a walk and two RBI.
• Bichette is hitting .259 with 20 doubles, 14 home runs and 25 walks.
• Bichette is riding a two-game hitting streak into this one. In his last five games he is hitting .263 with three walks and an RBI.

Royals Leaders & Batting Stats

• Bobby Witt Jr. paces the Royals in home runs (13), runs batted in (47) and has put up a team-high batting average of .254.
• Witt Jr. is 49th in home runs and 41st in RBI among all hitters in the majors.
• Witt Jr. carries a four-game hitting streak into this matchup. In his last five games he is hitting .300 with a home run, a walk and two RBI.
• Nicky Lopez is hitting .240 with 11 doubles, a triple and 18 walks.
• Lopez ranks 394th among all batters in the big leagues in homers, and 303rd in RBI.
• Emmanuel Rivera has eight doubles, three triples, six home runs and 11 walks while hitting .231.
• Edward Olivares is hitting .305 with four doubles, three home runs and seven walks.