The Toronto Blue Jays salvaged their series with the Los Angeles Dodgers and ended their five-game losing streak with a win in the finale on Sunday.
My Royals vs. Blue Jays predictions for April 29 are taking the bullpen out of the equation and instead focusing on starting pitchers by taking the Jays on the first-five run line. Find out why in my MLB picks below.
Royals vs Blue Jays prediction
My best bet
Blue Jays five-inning run line -0.5 (-118 at PROLINE+)
My analysis
The Toronto Blue Jays got a much-needed win on Sunday afternoon, taking a 3-1 dub over the Dodgers. And while that one win doesn’t mean their power outage is at an end, I do like their chances in today’s matchup against the Kansas City Royals.
For starters, the Royals took three of the four games in last week’s series, but with a run differential of +1 thanks to a lineup that has been arguably as bad as the Jays.
Secondly, and most importantly, the pitching in this matchup favors Toronto — particularly early on.
Toronto hands the ball to Yariel Rodriguez. The Cuban righty has gotten his Blue Jays career off to a solid start, pitching to a 3.86 ERA and striking out 11.6 batters per nine innings.
His worst start did come against the Royals last time out, allowing three runs on six hits in four innings, but I like him to bounce back here. Kansas City ranks 20th in batting average and 18th in wRC+ when facing right-handed pitchers this season.
What I really like about this matchup is the Royals counter Rodriguez with Jonathan Bowlan. Bowlan is a 27-year-old rookie who made two appearances for K.C. last September and will be used as an opener.
Bowlan mostly uses a four-seamer and slider and has pitched to a 2.57 ERA in Triple-A Omaha so far this season. However, it’s hard to know how that will translate at the big-league level. It also means lots of innings for a Kansas City bullpen that owns the second-worst xFIP in baseball.
Blue Jays star player prop
My best bet
George Springer Over 1.5 hits (+162 at PROLINE+)
Much has been made of the boppers at the top of the Blue Jays lineup, made up of George Springer, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Bo Bichette, well, doing the opposite of bopping. But at least one of those guys is showing signs of breaking out.
That is the leadoff man George Springer. The Jays’ outfielder can certainly be a streaky hitter, and he may be entering one of those hot patches. Springer has six hits over his last five games, which includes two doubles and a home run. That’s good for a .316 batting average and a .929 OPS.
Springer hasn’t faced Bowlan before, but he throws his fastball about 40% of the time, and Springer has a .295 expected batting average vs. fastballs this season. On top of that, he has solid numbers against the Royals bullpen with a .324 xBA.
Springer has two multi-hit games in his last five starts, and I like the Blue Jays leadoff man to get his team off to a good start in this series.
Ontario sports bettors: Play the Jays your way with PROLINE+
Ontario-owned and operated, PROLINE+ has a robust market offering at its disposal and reinvests 100% of its profits back into the province — join today!
Royals vs Blue Jays odds
Royals vs Blue Jays live odds
Royals vs Blue Jays opening odds
- Run line: Kansas City +1.5 (-165) | Toronto -1.5 (+140)
- Moneyline: Kansas City +125 | Toronto -150
- Over/Under: Over 8.5 | Under 8.5
Royals vs Blue Jays spread and Over/Under analysis
- The Blue Jays opened this American League matchup as -150 favorites and are now in the -165 range, depending on the sportsbook.
- The Royals took three of the four games from the Blue Jays last week, but neither team is hitting overly well, and Toronto should have the edge in starting pitching tonight.
- The total hit the board at 8.5, and that's where it remains as of Monday afternoon.
- These two teams played to the Under in all four of their games last week.
Royals vs Blue Jays trend
The Blue Jays have hit the game total Under in 61 of their last 111 games for +11.50 Units and a 9% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Royals vs. Blue Jays
Royals vs Blue Jays game info
| Location: | Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON |
| Date: | Monday, 4-29-2024 |
| First pitch: | 7:07 p.m. ET |
| TV: | Bally Sports Kansas City, Sportsnet 1 |
| Royals starting pitcher: | Jonathan Bowlan (0-0, 0.00 ERA) |
| Blue Jays starting pitcher: | Yariel Rodriguez (0-1, 3.86 ERA) |
Royals vs Blue Jays latest injuries
Royals vs Blue Jays weather
Not intended for use in MA.
Affiliate Disclosure: Covers may receive advertising commissions for visits to a sportsbook or betting site.
