Royals vs. Blue Jays Prediction, Odds and Props for Aug. 25: Toronto to End KC’s Streak

In the opener of an American League series, the Toronto Blue Jays play host to the red-hot Kansas City Royals. Let’s dive into this Royals vs. Blue Jays prediction to get the pitching matchup, latest odds, and some great player prop bets with solid value.

While the Royals (58-74) are in the basement of the AL Central and out of the playoff picture, they storm into Game 1 on the heels of an eight-game winning streak.

The Blue Jays (64-68) have flipped wins and losses in their last several games, and while well out of the AL East race, they are only two games out of the final AL Wild Card.

Canadian sportsbooks have the Blue Jays as slight moneyline favorites at -125, with the Royals at +105 and a total of 8.5 runs.

Impressive Last Series for Royals 

The Royals have won eight in a row, and they were very impressive in their last series, taking three games from the Detroit Tigers, outscoring them 19-10. In the series finale, they won 11-7. Nick Lofton and John Rave each went deep and combined for six RBIs, and Kyle Isbel was 2 for 4 with three RBIs.

Kansas City ranks 28th in team ERA, and while they rank 22nd in runs scored, they are averaging 6.3 runs per game over their eight-game win streak.

While the Royals have won eight in a row, all but one of those wins were at home. This season, they have the fewest road wins and have lost eight of their last 10 road games.

Jac Caglianone (.276, 22 home runs, 60 RBIs) leads KC in home runs and RBIs, missed the last game with ankle soreness, and is listed as day-to-day.

Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (.287, 16 home runs, 48 RBIs) has the third-best betting odds at Betway Sportsbook to win the MVP but is still a long shot at +5000. He has three home runs and six RBIs over the last eight games and is batting .329 this month.

Kansas City Starter for Series Opener 

Seth Lugo (5-7, 4.71 ERA, 1.38 WHIP) goes for KC tonight, and while they have won his last three starts, the lineup was the main reason, and he gave up five runs in each of his last two starts. In four starts this month, he gave up five runs in three of them and has an ERA of 7.48 over that span. Lugo has not faced Toronto this season, where he has worked 145 1/3 innings, striking out 111 and walking 46.

Playoff Path is Clear for the Blue Jays 

While the Blue Jays have work to do to make the playoffs, the path is clear: for the remainder of the season, they do not have a single series against a team with a winning record.

In their last series, they lost two of three games to the New York Yankees. In the series finale, they lost 8-3, where Brett Bateman and Alejandro Kirk each had an RBI.

This season, Toronto ranks a respectable 10th in team ERA but dead last in runs scored.

Kazuma Okamoto (.230, 26 home runs, 74 RBIs) is the team leader in home runs and RBIs, but only has two dingers and five RBIs while batting .228 this month. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (.262, 7 home runs, 46 RBIs) has six hits in the last five games but only one home run and two RBIs in August.

Toronto Starter for Series Opener 

Max Scherzer (1-6, 7.40 ERA, 1.51 WHIP) gets the call for the Blue Jays, and he was tagged for seven runs in four innings in his last start, which was a 7-6 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. While Toronto has lost three of its last four starts, it was pitching well before the last outing, not giving up more than two runs in four straight starts. This season, the three-time Cy Young winner has 32 strikeouts and 20 walks in 45 innings.

Royals vs. Blue Jays Prediction

Blue Jays ML Betway, -125

The Royals are riding an 8-game winning streak, but seven of those wins are at home, and the team has the worst road record in the Majors. Neither starting pitcher was sharp in their last outing, and while Scherzer was solid in his previous three starts, Lugo has given up exactly five runs in three of his last four starts.

Scherzer will be decent, and even the light-hitting Blue Jays will get to Lugo and the KC bullpen, which ranks second-to-last in bullpen ERA. Toronto will get the win as they battle for the last AL Wild Card, snapping the Royals' win streak.

Player Prop Bets

Here are some good value player prop bets at Betway Sportsbook:

• Seth Lugo to give up Over 2.5 earned runs Betway, -110 – Lugo has surrendered five earned runs in three of his last four starts, and three in the other.
• Ernie Clement 2+ total bases hits Betway, +165 – Clement leads the Blue Jays batting .284 and has seven hits over the last five games.
• Brett Bateman Over 1.5 hits Betway, +185 – Since being recalled from the minors earlier this month, he is batting .305, and in 14 games, he has had at least two hits in half of them.