Royals vs Angels Betting Should Be On Visiting KC
Pair of AL squads gets together for four-game series
The Kansas City Royals try to keep pace in a very competitive AL Central race when they travel to the West Coast to take on the Los Angeles Angels in a four-game weekend series beginning on Thursday. Kansas City is beginning a week out west with this series, while Los Angeles will be at home for a pair of series.
The Royals have won two of three, taking a home series against the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers at home. Kansas City comes into Thursday’s action in third place in the AL Central, one of the tighter MLB divisions, trailing the second-place Minnesota Twins by percentage points.
Los Angeles enters this series with a two-game winning streak. The Angels are in fourth place in the AL West, three games behind the third-place Oakland Athletics.
Kansas City is favored in the series opener on Thursday, getting -114 odds on the moneyline. Los Angeles is listed at +104 for an outright win.
Today’s MLB odds on the run line can get you the Angels at -167 when getting 1.5 runs, while the Royals are +147 when giving the runs. The over/under is set at 8.5 runs, with the under getting -120 and the over -100.
The first three games of this series are scheduled for 9:38 p.m. ET starts, while the series finale on Sunday is scheduled for a 4:07 p.m. ET first pitch.
Let’s break down the Royals vs Angels betting odds for Thursday’s matchup between the Royals and Angels.
Royals vs Angels 
Location: Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, California
Day/Time: Streaming: Fox Sports 1
Pitching Matchups
Game 1: Michael Wacha (Kansas City) vs Reid Detmers (Los Angeles)
The Royals will start this series with veteran righty Michael Wacha on the mound as he tries to bounce back from an ugly outing. Wacha is 1-4 with a 5.50 ERA in seven starts, striking out 31 in 37.2 innings of work. His last start came against the Texas Rangers on Saturday, as he lasted just 3.2 innings and allowed seven runs on nine hits.
Los Angeles will counter with 24-year-old lefty Reid Detmers getting the call for Thursday’s contest. Detmers is 3-3 with a 4.24 ERA, striking out 44 in 40.1 innings over seven starts. Detmers has struggled in his last three starts, allowing at least four runs in each. He had his worst start of the season on Saturday, going 5.2 innings against the Cleveland Guardians and allowing seven runs on five hits, including three home runs, while striking out seven and walking four.
Game 2: Alec Marsh (Kansas City) vs Griffin Canning (Los Angeles)
RIght-hander Alec Marsh is scheduled to come off the injured list to make the start for Kansas City on Friday night. Marsh (3-0, 2.70 ERA) has been out since April 24 with an elbow issue. In his last start, he threw 4.1 shutout innings against the Toronto Blue Jays, allowing just two hits before taking a line drive off his right forearm and being removed from the contest.
Los Angeles righty Griffin Canning will try to turn things around when he makes his eighth start of the season Friday. Canning is 1-4 with a 6.69 ERA but was solid in his last outing. Against the Guardians on Sunday, Canning went six innings and allowed two runs on four hits while striking out five and walking one.
Game 3: Cole Ragans (Kansas City) vs Tyler Anderson (Los Angeles)
Kansas City will have left-hander Cole Ragans getting the start for the third game of this series. Ragans brings a 2-2 record and 3.38 ERA to the mound for his ninth start of 2024. He has 54 strikeouts in 42.2 innings this season. Ragans’ last three starts have been very good, as he’s gone a combined 17.2 innings and allowed four runs on nine hits over that span.
Lefty Tyler Anderson will make his eighth start on Saturday and look to pick up his first win after starting the season 2-0. Anderson has taken a loss in four of his last five starts and comes into this one with a 2-4 record and 2.74 ERA. The 34-year-old’s most recent start was against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday, as he pitched 6.1 innings and allowed four runs on six hits.
Game 4: Seth Lugo (Kansas City) vs Patrick Sandoval (Los Angeles)
Kansas City is slated to have right-hander Seth Lugo on the mound for the series finale, as the 34-year-old looks to improve on his 5-1 record and 1.92 ERA (ninth in baseball). Lugo took a no-decision in his last start, pitching 6.2 innings against the Brewers and allowing three runs on six hits, including a pair of home runs. In seven starts this season, Lugo has failed to get out of the sixth inning just once.
Left-hander Patrick Sandoval will start the last game of the series for the Angels. The 27-year-old is 2-5 with a 4.85 ERA, but he’s coming off his best start of the season. Against the Pirates on Tuesday, Sandoval threw seven shutout innings, allowing just three runs while striking out seven and walking one. Over his last 12 innings of work, Sandoval has recorded 17 strikeouts.
Offense Gives Royals The Advantage
The Angels haven’t had a lot of pop at the plate this season, ranking 18th in baseball in runs (154) heading into Thursday’s series opener. It doesn’t help that superstar Mike Trout is out with a meniscus injury that required surgery.
Kansas City doesn’t have a spectacular offense, but it has been better than that of the Angels, ranking 10th in the majors in runs (175) and 15th in batting average (.241).
Catcher Salvador Perez has been outstanding this season, ranking 13th in baseball in batting average (.326) and fourth in RBI (31) heading into this series. The 33-year-old also has six doubles, eight home runs, and 15 runs scored.
He teams with shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (.327, 11 doubles, five triples, five home runs, 20 RBI, MLB-best 36 runs scored) to form a potent 1-2 duo for the Royals. Witt is coming off a 2-for-3 day against Milwaukee on Wednesday in which he had a double, a home run, an RBI, and three runs scored.
The player to watch in the Angels’ lineup is outfielder Taylor Ward. The 30-year-old is batting .273 with seven doubles, seven home runs, 24 RBI and 20 runs scored.
Royals Come Away With Series Victory
The Angels were not one of the MLB betting picks to contend for the postseason this season, and that’s proven to be correct so far. Los Angeles has not been very consistent this season, and that should continue in this series against an up-and-coming Royals squad.
Kansas City has a pair of likely All-Stars in its batting lineup along with a solid starting staff. The Royals are going to be in contention for the postseason and are playing better right now. When doing your Royals vs Angels betting for this series, make sure you go with the visiting team each time.
Royals vs Angels Betting Odds
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