Royals vs. Braves prediction, odds, pick – 9/29/2024

09/28/2024 09:56 PM

The Kansas City Royals will finish their regular season against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday at Truist Park. Playoff spots are on the line as we share our MLB odds series and make a Royals-Braves prediction and pick.

Royals-Braves Projected Starters 

Cole Ragans vs. TBD

Cole Ragans (11-9) with a 3.14 ERA

Last Start: Ragans went six innings in his last outing, hurling a three-hit shutout while striking out six and walking two in a no-decision against the Washington Nationals.

2024 Road Splits: Ragans has done better on the road, going 4-4 with a 2.87 ERA with 15 starts away from home.

TBA

The Braves have not announced a starting pitcher for this one. However, they are likely to use Reynaldo Lopez, Charlie Morton, or Grant Holmes.

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Royals-Braves Odds

Kansas City Royals: +1.5 (-125)

Moneyline: +165

Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (+105)

Moneyline: -200

Over: 7.5 (-110)

Under: 7.5 (-110)

How to Watch Royals vs. Braves 

Time: 3:20 PM ET/12:20 PM PT

TV: Bally Sports Southeast

Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)

Why The Royals Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Royals clinched a playoff spot recently and will be making their first postseason appearance since 2015 when they won the World Series. Now, they are playing for positioning. The Royals will likely face the Houston Astros in the Wildcard Round. However, there is still a slight chance they can sneak past the Detroit Tigers and snag the second wildcard spot, earning them a spot against the Baltimore Orioles in the Wildcard Round. Regardless, they need their offense to do well in this one.

Bobby Witt Jr. is phenomenal and continues to set team records. Remarkably, he came into the day with 32 home runs, 109 RBIs, and 124 runs. His leadership and perchance for getting on base have been elite. Therefore, expect him to be a significant part of this offense as he attempts to power them into the postseason and past the Wildcard Round. The Royals have been without Vinnie Pasquantino since August. Thus, they have had to adjust to his absence. Salvador Perez has been solid. So far, he is batting .271 with 27 home runs, 104 RBIs, and 58 runs.

Ragans has had a quietly solid season. Ultimately, he is dependable and a pitcher the Royals trust. When Ragans departs, he will turn it over to a bullpen that has struggled, ranking 21st in team ERA. Even worse, the Royals do not have an established closer, meaning someone must step up to fill the void. Lately, that has been Lucas Erceg. He is 2-6 with a 3.36 ERA and 14 saves. Amazingly, he has tossed three consecutive clean games while closing out games for the Royals.

The Royals will cover the spread if Witt gets on base, and Perez can contribute by driving him in. Then, they need another solid outing from Ragans while hoping the bullpen can hold the fort.

Why The Braves Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Braves have been bruised and battered all season. Despite that, the ultra-talented Braves have a chance to steal a playoff spot from the New York Mets or Arizona Diamondbacks. Substantially, a win here would help their cause. But the Braves still may have to play two games against the Mets on Monday to determine who gets into the postseason. Significantly, they need what is left of their offense to produce. Atlanta came into Sunday ahead of the Mets, who lost Saturday to the Brewers. Therefore, a win plus a Mets’ loss on Sunday gives them a ticket to the postseason.

The Braves won Friday’s game despite scoring only three runs. Sadly, that is not going to be good enough on most nights. In other words, they need more offense, especially if they wish to make it to the postseason. Somehow, the offense on Friday came from Sean Murphy, who clubbed his 10th home run of the season. But the Braves need more from the stars who are still healthy. Thus, Marcell Ozuna and Matt Olson must find ways to get on base and batter the baseball. If they do not, the Braves don’t have much of a chance, especially because they are already without Austin Riley and Ronald Acuna Jr.

The Braves have not announced a starting pitcher yet. Thus, watch what they plan to do for this game. When the starter exits the game, he will turn it over to the third-best bullpen in baseball. Raisel Iglesias is the closer and has done a good job of shutting down games.

The Braves will cover the spread if they can find any offense and score multiple runs. Then, they need a good start from whoever takes the mound and for the bullpen to hold.

Final Royals-Braves Prediction & Pick

The Royals are 87-74 against the run line, while the Braves are 74-85. Additionally, the Royals are 45-35 against the run line on the road, while the Braves are 32-46 at home. Both teams have some injuries. However, no team has been as decimated by them as the Braves have. Ragans is likely better than whoever the Braves throw out there. Going to give the Royals the edge due to the pitching matchup.

Final Royals-Braves Prediction & Pick:

The post Royals vs. Braves prediction, odds, pick – 9/29/2024 appeared first on ClutchPoints.