Los Angeles Angels vs Kansas City Royals Odds & Picks – 8/20/2024

• Date: August 20, 2024
• Venue: Kauffman Stadium
• Starting Pitchers:
  • Tyler Anderson - Angels
  • Cole Ragans - Royals

Betting Odds

Los Angeles Angels vs Kansas City Royals Win Probabilities

Implied Win % in sports betting represent the probability of an outcome as suggested by the betting odds. It's a way for bettors to gauge the likelihood of an event occurring based on the odds offered by sportsbooks.

Projected Win %, also known as projected win probability, is an estimate by ATS.io to determine the likelihood that a team will win a game or event. This projection is often based on various factors such as team performance, statistics, and historical data.

Los Angeles Angels vs Kansas City Royals Betting Preview

On August 20, 2024, the Kansas City Royals will host the Los Angeles Angels at Kauffman Stadium in what is shaping up to be an intriguing matchup. The Royals are enjoying a solid season with a 70-55 record, while the Angels have struggled considerably at 53-72. This game marks the second in the series, with the Royals looking to build on their recent momentum after a strong showing in their last game.

Starting for the Royals is Cole Ragans, who has emerged as an elite pitcher this season, ranking 13th among all starting pitchers in MLB according to advanced stats. Ragans boasts a commendable Win/Loss record of 10-7 and an ERA of 3.18, projecting to pitch 5.8 innings while allowing just 2.3 earned runs on average today. However, he does have some concerns, as he also projects to allow 5.0 hits and 1.8 walks, which could provide opportunities for the Angels' hitters.

Conversely, Tyler Anderson takes the mound for the Angels. While he has a respectable ERA of 3.30, his xFIP of 4.78 indicates that he may not be as effective as his numbers suggest. With a below-average strikeout rate of 19.3% and a matchup against a Royals offense that ranks 2nd in MLB for least strikeouts, Anderson may face challenges in capitalizing on his strengths.

The projections suggest that the Royals should take advantage of the Angels' struggling offense, which ranks 25th in the league. With a high implied team total of 4.93 runs, Kansas City is a strong betting favorite at -200. Meanwhile, the Angels, with a low implied total of 3.57 runs, have their work cut out for them against a Royals team that also boasts a solid offensive ranking of 12th in the league.

Quick Takes Los Angeles Angels:

Among all starters, Tyler Anderson's fastball velocity of 88.7 mph ranks in the 1st percentile this year.

• Velocity is a key component to fastball success in generating strikeouts and preventing runs.

Zach Neto is projected to bat 2nd in the lineup in this game, which would be an upgrade from his 85% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the batting order this year.

• The higher in the order a player bats, the more plate appearances he will get and the more opportunities he will get to hit the Over for every market. A player who hits higher in the order than he normally does may provide extra value opportunity since the market may be based on him hitting lower.

It may be smart to expect better numbers for the Los Angeles Angels offense in the future, given that the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes they are the 9th-unluckiest offense in the game this year.

• When teams underperform their projected talent level, markets may undervalue them even while they are likely to perform better in the near future.

Quick Takes Kansas City Royals:

Cole Ragans has been granted more leash than the typical pitcher this year, throwing 8.0 more adjusted pitches-per-outing than average.

• Pitchers with a longer leash are more likely to go deeper into games and record more outs.

Paul DeJong has been hot recently, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 88-mph to 98.3-mph in the last week.

• Hitting the ball hard increases the chances of either a home run or the ball landing in fair territory for a hit before a fielder can get to it.

Kansas City Royals hitters as a group rank near the top of Major League Baseball this year (4th-) when it comes to their 89.4-mph average exit velocity.

• Hitting the ball hard increases the chances of either a home run or the ball landing in fair territory for a hit before a fielder can get to it.

Game Trends

• The Kansas City Royals have hit the Run Line in 36 of their last 61 games at home (+11.49 Units / 15% ROI)
• The Los Angeles Angels have hit the Game Total Under in 38 of their last 72 games (+5.40 Units / 7% ROI)
• Vinnie Pasquantino has hit the Home Runs Over in 6 of his last 17 games (+18.50 Units / 109% ROI)

Los Angeles Angels vs Kansas City Royals Prediction

Final Score: Los Angeles Angels 4.08 vs Kansas City Royals 4.8

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