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

The Kansas City Royals take on the Seattle Mariners on Monday for the first of four games at T-Mobile Park. Kansas City finds itself fourth in the AL Central with a 39-45 record, while Seattle, currently 43-40, is second in the AL West.

Let's take a look at the odds and how the action might play out in this series opener.

Royals vs Mariners prediction

Michael Wacha in action for the Kansas City Royals against the Athletics - Source: Getty

Taking the mound for the Royals is righty Michael Wacha, who has posted a 4-7 record, along with a 3.33 ERA and 74 total strikeouts. Offensively, Bobby Witt Jr., Maikel Garcia, Jonathan India and Vinnie Pasquantino have been enjoying good seasons.

For Seattle, right-hander George Kirby will take the mound. Kirby is doing much worse than his counterpart on paper, with a 1-4 record, along with a 5.40 ERA and 36 total strikeouts. However, those numbers are heavily inflated by his two starts just after returning from the IL. The 27-year-old has shown improvement from those early struggles.

At the plate, Cal Raleigh is enjoying a fantastic season, leading the majors in home runs, supported by the likes of Julio Rodriguez, J.P. Crawford and Jorge Polanco.

Seattle has arguably been the better team this season, and that difference in quality should be evident on Monday, especially at T-Mobile Park.

Prediction: Kansas City Royals 3, Seattle Mariners 4

Odds

Money Line: Kansas City Royals +131, Seattle Mariners -154

Run Line: Kansas City +1.5 (-164), Seattle -1.5 (+134)

Total Runs: Over 6.5 (-152), Under 6.5 (+123)

Injury report

Royals injuries

Michael Massey: 10-day IL (Ankle)
Cole Ragans: 15-day IL (Rotator cuff)
Hunter Harvey: 60-day IL (Shoulder)
Alec Marsh: 60-day IL (Shoulder)
James McArthur: 60-day IL (Elbow)

Mariners injuries

Bryce Miller: 15-day IL (Elbow)
Collin Snider: 15-day IL (Forearm)
Gregory Santos: 60-day IL (Knee)
Ryan Bliss: 60-day IL (Bicep)
Victor Robles: 60-day IL (Shoulder)

Expert's picks

The pitching matchup is much closer than it appears on paper, making this game quite tough to call. Playing at home and in better touch for the season as a whole, Seattle should be able to claim a hard-fought win here.

Money Line: Seattle Mariners -154

Run Line: Kansas City +1.5 (-164)

Total Runs: Over 6.5 (-152)

About the author

Raghav Mehta is a baseball journalist at Sportskeeda awaiting results for a Bachelor's in Journalism from Delhi University. He enjoys highlighting the key battles between players at different stages of the game and analyzing the decisive moments upon which they hinge.

One of Raghav's favorite moments, which underscores this, was the Shohei Ohtani vs. Mike Trout clash in the 2023 WBC, where two of baseball's best players faced off against each other in the 9th inning. With the score 3-2 to Japan, Shohei eventually got the strikeout, which was absolute cinema.

Raghav is a Baltimore Orioles fan and is enjoying watching such an exciting young team compete at the top in a very competitive division.

Raghav has loved watching sports for as long as he can remember and realized he was pretty decent at writing his thoughts down at around the age of 14. Combining the two meant he had something he would enjoy doing every day, and he had identified that well before going to college.

Aside from work, Raghav enjoys playing sports, working out and watching movies.

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Edited by Krutik Jain

Royals vs. Mariners: Game 1 prediction, odds, injuries, and picks - June 30, 2025