Dodgers vs. Royals: Game 1 prediction, odds, injuries and picks

The reigning world champion Dodgers take their act to Kansas City against the Royals for a three-game set. Ohtani and company are coming off a dominant sweep of the Rockies on the road. The Royals, in contrast, were swept by the Rays at home.

Dustin May has been assigned to start Game 1. May has posted a 4-5 record with a 4.46 ERA across 14 starts this year. Noah Cameron, meanwhile, was picked to start the curtain-raiser for the hosts in hopes of limiting the high-octane Dodger offense.

Dodgers vs. Royals recent form and records

The Dodger squad leads the National League with a 51-31 record. They're on a four-game winning streak and have won eight of their last 10 games.

As for the Royals, they've dropped five games in succession and are slowly slipping down the standings with a 38-43 record. In their loss against the Rays on Thursday, they tied the worst home losing streak at 10 they set in 2023.

Dodgers vs. Royals odds

Money Line: LAD (159), KC (+146)

Run Spread: LAD -1.5 (-104), KC +1.5 (-114)

Total Runs: O 9.5 (-112), U 9.5 (-107)

Dodgers vs. Royals injuries

LAD injury report

Roki Sasaki (SP): 15-day IL (shoulder)
Tyler Glasnow (SP): 60-day IL (shoulder)
Blake Snell (SP): 60-day IL (shoulder)
Gavin Stone (SP): 60-day IL (shoulder)
River Ryan (SP): 60-day IL (elbow)
Evan Phillips (RP): 60-day IL (elbow)
Brusdar Graterol (RP): 60-day IL (shoulder)
Blake Treinen (RP): 60-day IL (forearm)
Luis Garcia (RP): 15-day IL (adductor)
Michael Grove (RP): 60-day IL (shoulder)

KC injury report

James McArthur (RP): 60-day IL (elbow)
Hunter Harvey (RP): 60-day IL (shoulder)
Alec Marsh (SP): 60-day IL (shoulder)
Kyle Wright (SP): 15-day IL (shoulder)
Cole Ragans (SP): 15-day IL (shoulder)
Michael Massey (2B): 10-day IL (ankle)

Dodgers vs. Rockies projected lineup

LAD projected lineup

Shohei Ohtani (DH)
Mookie Betts (SS)
Will Smith (C)
Freddie Freeman (1B)
Teoscar Hernandez (RF)
Andy Pages (CF)
Tommy Edman (2B)
Enrique "Kike" Hernandez (LF)
Miguel Rojas (3B)
Dustin May (SP, 4-5 | 4.46 ERA | 72 K)

KC projected lineup

Jonathan India (2B)
Bobby Witt Jr. (SS)
Maikel Garcia (3B)
Vinnie Pasquantino (1B)
Salvador Perez (C)
Jac Caglianone (DH)
Drew Waters (LF)
John Rave (RF)
Kyle Isbel (CF)
Noah Cameron (SP, 2-3 | 2.08 ERA | 34 K)

Dodgers vs. Royals picks and game prediction

With the Royals on the verge of breaking their worst losing streak at home, the visiting champions should comfortably take Game 1 at Kauffman Stadium.

Run Line: LAD -1.5 (-104)

Total Runs: O 9.5 (-112)

Prediction: LAD wins, 10-5

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

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Edited by Daniel Santiago

Dodgers vs. Royals: Game 1 prediction, odds, injuries and picks - June 27, 2025