MLB 1st 5 Inning Total Annihilator - Friday
- Handicapper
- Jim Feist
- League
- MLB
- Competition
- Kansas City Royals vs New York Yankees
- Release Date
- 04/17/2026 11:09 AM
- Event Date
- 04/17/2026 07:05 PM
- Bet Type
- 1st Half Over / Under
- Pick
-
Kansas City Royals vs New York Yankees Under 4.5 (-125)
(Consensus Line)
- Outcome
- Win
- Analysis
- Every line movement on MLB betting boards is helpful when identifying plays, and early insight into Royals-Yankees pitching plans suggest the first five innings under could be a solid angle Friday. New York will roll with Cam Schlittler and Kansas City will counter with Michael Wacha in the Friday opener at Yankee Stadium, according to series previews from Pinstripe Alley and MLB.
Schlittler profiles as a worthy bullseye thanks to work. Schlittler was great in each of his first two starts, noting that “The one walk he issued in his last start against Tampa Bay was the first walk he had given up all season.” Command is everything for early under bets. When a young power arm like Schlittler is pounding the strike zone and limiting free baserunners, it makes it difficult for opponents to manufacture quick rallies.
Wacha is another piece of the under puzzle on the Royals side because he can keep a game sedated early when his pitches are located. The Royals’ offense has struggled more than their pitching this season, even mentioning Bobby Witt Jr. dealing with a slow start to the year. Royals hitters struggling matters for betting the first five innings because if the offense isn’t producing, Wacha won’t have to do much to keep runs at bay early.
We can even tie in a Royals offensive slump angle as part of the case to attack early inning runs as few and far between. Kansas City enters Friday’s series opener against New York with a record of 7-12, and scouting reports for the matchup have circled the Royals lineup as their biggest problem. One piece of same-day MLB betting advice focused on Schlittler’s strikeout projection against Kansas City while saying Royals hitters such as Salvador Perez were in tough matchups. Looks like early runs could be at a premium against Schlittler.
Combine all that info and we have a nice little under recipe: a Wacha vs. Schlittler matchup, a Yankees starter that knows how to miss bats, and a Royals offense that has yet to prove it can drive early offense. Roll with the Royals-Yankees first five innings under Friday.
Jim's Play: 913. Royals/Yankees UNDER 4.5, 1st 5 Innings
