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The Kansas City Royals will be at home to face the San Diego Padres on Friday night. The Royals came out on top versus the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-3 on Wednesday to improve to 51-75 this year. Looking at the Padres, they now find themselves at 68-58 this season following their 2-1 win over the Cleveland Guardians.
"#TogetherRoyal" - Royals
The Padres have had their road woes lately, losing seven of their previous 10 outside of San Diego. They'll look to have better luck on Friday as they open a road series.
Kansas City will go with Kris Bubic for Friday's game. He is 2-8 with a 5.25 ERA in 20 starts. The Padres offense is slumping badly, averaging 2.7 runs per game in their last seven.
Recently, the left-hander has been slightly better, holding a 4.23 ERA in his previous six outings. Bubic has struggled at home this season, though, sporting a 5.55 ERA at Kauffman Stadium. The Padres have scored more on the road this year, but that can be attributed to how difficult it is to score in San Diego. Look for Bubic to try and keep the Padres' bats cold on Friday.
Joe Musgrove will be taking the hill Friday. He is 8-6 with a 2.91 ERA in 22 starts this year for the visiting side. Last start, he was solid, going six frames, giving up four hits and one earned run, while striking out seven in a victory over the Washington Nationals.
Lately, the All-Star has been better, surrendering just five earned runs in his previous 19 frames after he had some shaky outings. Musgrove has been pretty good on the road too, so expect him to have a solid performance in this one.
Kansas City Royals vs. San Diego Padres Match Details
Fixture: San Diego Padres @ Kansas City Royals
Date & Time: Friday, August 26, 8:10 p.m. EDT
Venue: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City Royals vs. San Diego Padres Betting Odds
Kansas City Royals vs. San Diego Padres Best Picks
The Padres' offense has been struggling recently, and Bubic has been decent this month. San Diego averages just 0.3 first-inning runs on the road, which is the sixth-lowest total in the MLB. Kansas City has a tough matchup against Musgrove, and they only score 0.39 first inning runs at home.
Pick: No Runs First Inning (-111)
Kansas City Royals vs. San Diego Padres Betting Prediction
The Royals offense isn't great, and they will likely have trouble plating runners against Musgrove tonight. Look for the Padres' All-Star hurler to keep the home team's bats in check while he's in.
Prediction: Royals First 5 Innings Team Total Under 1.5 Runs (-110)
Lucas Abrenica's Last 15 Days' MLB Picks are: 133-97-4 (+245.8 Units)
