:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71133461/1408766996.0.jpg)
The Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays square off on Saturday with first pitch set for 3:07 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription.
Kansas City (36-54) appears destined to miss out on the postseason and they can likely pinpoint a disastrous stretch from the middle of May into June as the culprit. The Royals lost 15 of 18 games during that span, which put them well under .500. Kansas City has somewhat recovered in their recent stretch, including winning three of their last five outings. The Royals hope to bounce back on Saturday after splitting the first two of this four-game series with the Blue Jays, including a thorough 8-1 blowout loss on Friday.
Toronto (48-43) sits in third place in an AL East division that is being dominated by the league-leading New York Yankees. The Blue Jays are tied for the final AL Wild Card spot after an inconsistent record from June into July. Toronto managed to reach 12 games over .500 by June, but followed up by losing nine out of 10 games with a cold stretch to start July. The Blue Jays will look to carry the momentum from their 8-1 dominant win on Friday.
Royals vs. Blue Jays
Pitchers: Daniel Lynch vs. Max Castillo
First pitch: 3:07 p.m. ET
Royals local broadcast: Bally Sports Kansas City
Blue Jays local broadcast: SportsNet
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)
Odds, picks & predictions
Run Line: Blue Jays -1.5 +150, Royals +1.5 -130
Run total: 9, Over -120, Under +100
Moneyline odds: Blue Jays -295, Kansas City +245
Moneyline pick: Toronto -295
The Royals are without 10 players in Canada and still pulled out the win in the series opener. That luck ran out real quick as Toronto responded with the 8-1 victory on Friday. Castillo typically comes into games out of the pen but will be making the second start of his career. Even so, the Blue Jays lineup should be able to deal with Daniel Lynch and will take advantage of being fully staffed.
Player prop pick: Santiago Espinal over 0.5 hits (-210)
Espinal is 2-6 in his career against Lynch entering Saturday’s game. He was announced early Saturday as being a replacement for Jose Altuve for the 2022 All-Star Game. Espinal is hitting .271 with six home runs and 37 RBI this season and has a hit in three of his last five games. He will tally at least one base hit on Saturday.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), ConnexOntario 1-866-531-2600 (ONT), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ NH/WY; 19+ ONT). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/NH/NJ/NY/ONT/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions. DraftKings operates pursuant to an Operating Agreement with iGaming Ontario. Please play responsibly.