Free MLB Pick: Royals vs Cubs Odds
Looking for Kansas City Royals vs. Chicago Cubs free MLB predictions? MLB betting sees the Royals taking on the Cubs on Friday, August 20th, 2021 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all MLB baseball matchups all season long so stay tuned for more FREE daily MLB predictions like this Royals Cubs free pick.
2021 MLB Handicapping
(52-68) Kansas City Royals vs. Chicago Cubs (54-69)
Date: Friday, August 20th
Time: 2:20 PM ET
Venue: Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
Projected Pitchers: Brad Keller vs. Zach Davies
MLB Moneyline Odds: Royals -125 | Cubs +105
MLB RunLine Betting Odds: Royals OFF
MLB Baseball Gambling Total: OFF
Two bad teams riding a little bit of momentum meet up Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field. Kansas City is a somewhat rare road favorite in this one, but they did just almost sweep a 4-game series with Houston, winning three and losing Thursday in extra innings.
What the Cubs are hoping is that an off day didn’t kill the momentum they’ve built up from taking 2 of 3 in Cincinnati this week. Tuesday’s victory snapped a 12-game skid for Chicago, and their pitching has dominated with just 2 total runs allowed the last two games.
Kansas City Royals
KC has ridden solid starting pitching to their impressive series with Houston. The Royals took 3 of 4, vs. the Astros with Daniel Lynch throwing 7 on Tuesday with 1 ER, Brady Singer giving up 2 over 6.2 on Wednesday, and Mike Minor giving up 3 over 5.1 IP in Thursday before the bullpen gave up 3 runs in the 10th in the 6-3 loss.
Brad Keller (7-12, 5.82 ERA) gets the ball on Friday, pitching as a favorite for just the 2nd time in the last 11 games. Keller has allowed 2 ER or less in 4 of his last 7 starts, and the Cubs have just a collective 17 AB vs. the KC right-hander.
Kansas City did take 3 of 4 from the Astros, but their offense didn’t necessarily tear things up over that stretch. The Royals did score 3 runs in each of the past three games, but that’s less than their 4.08 average that is 25th in the league.
The good news is that the Royals should be able to get some things going Friday afternoon against Zach Davies, the Cubs starter who has been abused for the most part as of late.
Chicago Cubs
The Cubs almost inexplicably took 2 of 3 in Cincinnati this week. Not only is Chicago horrible on the road this season (23-41) but the Reds needed those wins being just a couple games back in the wild card race.
Chicago pitching showed up out of nowhere the last two games at Great American Ballpark. Kyle Hendricks was his usual great self throwing 6.0 innings of 1 ER ball on Tuesday, but the big surprise was Adrian Sampson giving up just 1 ER over 4.0 IP on Wednesday in his first start since 2019.
The Chicago bullpen has been solid the last couple games, but in their most recent home stand the Cubs allowed a whopping 58 runs in 7 games (all losses).
Chicago’s big question in Friday’s game is if Davies (6-9, 5.00 ERA) has truly turned a corner. The right-hander has had the worst season of his career, but did throw 6 innings of shutout ball in his last start. Davies gave up 18 ER in three outings prior.
MLB Baseball Betting Trends:
- Royals are 6-2 last 8 as a road favorite
- Royals are 16-35 last 51 road games
- Royals are 1-5 last 6 during game 1 of a series
- Cubs are 14-37 last 51 overall
- Cubs are 4-12 last 16 following a win
- Cubs are 1-10 last 11 home games
Free Kansas City Royals vs. Chicago Cubs MLB Prediction:
The Cubs were one of the best home teams in the league for a majority of the season, but that was when they had the likes of Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, and Javy Baez in the lineup. The Cubs have dropped 10 of their last 11 at Wrigley Field.
KC looked good vs. the Astros this week, getting solid pitching to shut down a potent Houston lineup. Chicago has nowhere near the talent that the Astros do, making it a good spot for Keller.
4* Free MLB Betting Pick: Royals -125
Davies needs a couple solid starts in a row before we can actually trust him.
If you’re looking for more MLB picks like this Kansas City Royals vs. Chicago Cubs matchup we’ll be providing 4* free MLB plays on the blog all season long, and check out our Experts for guaranteed premium & free MLB Baseball picks!
Register here for a FREE MLB Betting Account Now for Daily Free Picks & More Special Offers!