Philadelphia Phillies vs Kansas City Royals Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/23/2024

Game Time: 8:10 pm ET, Friday, August 23, 2024

Venue:  Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO

Where to Watch:  BSKC

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Phillies +110, Royals -130; Over/Under:  9.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Phillies +110, Royals -130; Over/Under:  9.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Phillies +110, Royals -130; Over/Under:  9.5 runs

Philadelphia Phillies:  74-52 (1st place, NL East)

Kansas City Royals:  71-56 (3rd place, AL Central)

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Philadelphia Phillies:  5-5 last 10

Kansas City Royals:  7-3 last 10

The Phillies won their 4-game series against the Washington Nationals 3-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 74-52 record overall and have a road record of 32-29. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Royals on Friday with the series finale of their series against the Atlanta Braves still to be played on Thursday. The Phillies lost the series opener of that series on Tuesday and won the 2nd game on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 7th in the MLB with a .746 OPS. Cristopher Sánchez is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Taijuan Walker is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 3-4 with a 5.69 ERA this season. His team lost their last 7 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 3 ER, 2 HR, and 3 BB with 3 Ks on 4 hits through 4.2 IP against the Washington Nationals.

The Royals are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Los Angeles Angels 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 71-56 record overall and have a home record of 40-26. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Phillies on Friday and they have Thursday off as a day of rest. Their offense ranks 12th in the MLB with a .735 OPS. Michael Lorenzen was their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Michael Wacha is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 10-6 with a 3.33 ERA this season. His team won their last 4 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 0 earned runs, 0 homers, and 1 BB with 9 strikeouts on 4 hits through 6 innings played against the Cincinnati Reds.

The current betting odds have the Royals listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Royals have looked really good in their games this season with their 71-56 record overall, but that record only has them in 3rd place of the AL Central right now and fighting for a Wild Card spot. They have looked really good in their home games all year with their 40-26 home record, looking a lot better in those games than they have on the road. Meanwhile, the Phillies have looked great in their games this season with their 74-52 record overall which leads the NL East with one of the best records in the entire MLB. They have struggled more in their road games though, going 32-29 in road games this season, and they have looked great in their games lately either, going 5-5 in their last 10 games while the Royals are 7-3. The Royals have looked like a different team in their home games all season and they have a good pitching matchup here that they can take advantage of. Walker is on the mound for the Phillies and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 3-4 with a 5.69 ERA and has been giving up a ton of runs all year. He gave up 3 earned runs in his last start and the team hasn't had much success with him either, losing 7 games in a row that he started in. The Royals have a more solid starter here with Wacha on the mound. Wacha is 10-6 with a 3.33 ERA and hasn't been giving up as many runs in his starts. He has also looked really good lately with his team winning 4 games in a row with him starting, giving up no runs in his last start too. This is a bigger series for the Royals since they are in 3rd place of their division and fighting for a Wild Card spot while the Phillies do have a bit of a lead in the NL East, keeping them safe in their playoff spot for now. The best way to place a bet here is on the Royals to win this game.

Phillies Royals Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, August 23, 2024 (8:10 pm ET start time) is Royals 5 Phillies 3.

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Philadelphia Phillies: 37-39 (-20.30 units) on the moneyline in their last 76 games. 25-36 (-14.60 units) on the runline in their last 61 games.

Kansas City Royals: 40-24 (+11.30 units) on the moneyline in their last 64 home games. 36-25 (+11.35 units) on the runline in their last 61 home games. 

Philadelphia Phillies:  S. Turnbull (SP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. A. Hays (LF) Out indefinitely - Hamstring. R. Suarez (SP) Out indefinitely - Back. L. Ortiz (RP) out for season - Ankle. D. Covey (RP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder.

Kansas City Royals:  H. Harvey (RP) Out indefinitely - Back. D. Altavilla (RP) Mid Sep - Oblique. K. Wright (SP) out for season - Shoulder. J. Taylor (RP) Late June - Bicep.

“We manufactured all three of our runs. Wilson leads off (the eighth) with a double. (Bryson) Stott pinch hits, long fly ball moves him over. Marsh pinch hits, long fly ball, gets him in. That’s how you win playoff games.” - Rob Thomson after his team’s win against the Braves in their game on Wednesday.

“The double play the second hitter of the game, that was a big relief. It was more of a mentality of let’s just attack here and not work the edges as much. He was on the attack more so after the first couple innings.” - Matt Quatraro after his team’s win against the LA Angels in their game on Wednesday.

Kyle Schwarber (L) DH

Trea Turner (R) SS

Bryce Harper (L) 1B

Alec Bohm (R) 3B

Nick Castellanos (R) RF

J.T. Realmuto (R) C

Weston Wilson (R) LF

Edmundo Sosa (R) 2B

Johan Rojas (R) CF

Michael Massey (L) 2B

Bobby Witt Jr. (R) SS

Vinnie Pasquantino (L) 1B

Salvador Perez (R) C

MJ Melendez (L) LF

Hunter Renfroe (R) DH

Adam Frazier (L) RF

Maikel Garcia (R) 3B

Kyle Isbel (L) CF

Batting Average:  Weston Wilson (.362)

Hits:  Alec Bohm (142)

Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber (28)

RBI:  Alec Bohm (85)

Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott (25)

Wins:  Zack Wheeler (12)

Saves:  José Alvarado (13)

ERA:  Max Lazar (0.00)

Batting Average:  Bobby Witt (.352)

Hits:  Bobby Witt (178)

Home Runs:  Bobby Witt (25)

RBI:  Vinnie Pasquantino (95)

Stolen Bases:  Maikel Garcia (30)

Wins:  Seth Lugo (14)

Saves:  James McArthur (18)

ERA:  Jordan Lyles (0.00)

Managers:

Philadelphia Phillies: Rob Thomson (3rd season)

Kansas City Royals: Matt Quatraro (2nd season)