The Philadelphia Phillies (59-51) hope to avoid an upset as -232 favorites when they take on Bobby Witt Jr. (with homers in two straight contests) and the Kansas City Royals (36-75). First pitch is at 6:05 PM ET Saturday, live from Citizens Bank Park and airing on NBCS-PH.
Cristopher Sanchez takes the mound for Philadelphia while Alec Marsh is Kansas City’s starter for the contest.
Phillies vs. Royals Odds
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Phillies and Royals Betting Trends
The Phillies have won 41 of the 72 games they were the moneyline favorite this season (56.9%).
Philadelphia has gone 4-2 when it has played as moneyline favorites with odds of -232 or shorter (66.7% winning percentage).
The Royals have entered the game as underdogs 96 times this season and won 32, or 33.3%, of those games.
Kansas City has a record of 6-12 in games where oddsmakers have it as underdogs of at least +192 on the moneyline.
The Phillies have had an over/under set by oddsmakers 110 times, and have combined with opponents to go over the total in 45 of those games (45-57-8).
Games involving the Royals have gone over the total set by oddsmakers in 52 of 110 chances this season.
Phillies Stats & Insights
The Phillies are the 16th-highest scoring team in MLB play averaging 4.5 runs per game (494 total).
Philadelphia ranks 21st in MLB action with 117 home runs. They average 1.1 per game.
The Phillies have the 12th-ranked batting average in the league (.254).
Philadelphia strikes out 9.2 times per game, the No. 25 mark in baseball.
The Phillies pitching staff is 10th in the majors with a collective 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings.
Philadelphia has a 4.01 team ERA that ranks 11th among all MLB pitching staffs.
Royals Stats & Insights
The Royals are among the lowest scoring teams in the league, ranking 28th with just 430 total runs (3.9 per game) this season.
Kansas City’s 102 home runs rank 26th in MLB this season.
The Royals rank 21st in MLB with a .239 team batting average.
Kansas City ranks 19th in MLB in strikeouts per game with an average of 8.7 Ks per contest.
The Royals average just 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings as a pitching staff, which ranks 27th in the league.
Kansas City has the 28th-ranked ERA (5.08) in the majors this season.
Phillies Key Players to Watch
Sanchez makes the start for the Phillies, his 10th of the season. He is 0-3 with a 2.66 ERA and 41 strikeouts through 47 1/3 innings pitched.
Bryson Stott leads Philadelphia with a .303 batting average. He’s also hit nine homers and has 39 RBI.
Alec Bohm is a key run producer for Philadelphia with a .292 average, 10 homers and 69 RBI.
Kyle Schwarber leads Philadelphia in home runs with 27. He’s driven in 65 runs and is slugging .415.
Nicholas Castellanos is batting .274 with an OBP of .317 and a slugging percentage of .452 this season.
Royals Key Players to Watch
The Royals will hand the ball to Marsh (0-5) for his sixth start of the season.
Witt Jr. has accumulated a team-high batting average of .270, while pacing the Royals in home runs (20) and runs batted in (66).
Salvador Perez is hitting .246 with 18 doubles, 17 home runs and 14 walks.
Maikel Garcia is hitting .282 with 15 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 22 walks.
Edward Olivares is hitting .252 with 17 doubles, four triples, six home runs and 15 walks.
Phillies and Royals Injuries
Phillies: Cristian Pache: 10 Day IL (Elbow), José Alvarado: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Rhys Hoskins: 60 Day IL (Acl)
Royals: Nick Pratto: 10 Day IL (Groin), Brad Keller: 15 Day IL (Shoulder), Daniel Lynch: 15 Day IL (Shoulder), Taylor Clarke: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Josh Taylor: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Kris Bubic: 60 Day IL (Flexor), Vinnie Pasquantino: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Josh Staumont: 60 Day IL (Neck), Jake Brentz: 60 Day IL (Elbow)
Phillies vs. Royals Prediction
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