Royals vs. Yankees: Game 3 predictions, odds and picks — Sept 11, MLB 2024

On Wednesday, the Yankees and Royals meet for the final time this year while finishing up their three-game set in the Bronx. As both teams aspire of a pennant winning season, every game promises to be high-stakes.

After losing the first game of the series by a 10-4 margin, the Royals won 5-0 over the Yankees on Tuesday, with Sal Perez' pair of RBIs leading the way for KC. Wednesday's rubbermatch will take place at 7:05 pm at Yankee Stadium.

Royals vs Yankees recent form and records

Despite losing 5-0 on Tuesday, New York retains a 0.5 game lead over the Baltimore Orioles to lead the AL East. 4-6 in their last ten, manager Aaron Boone's team will welcome the Red Sox for a four-game weekend series starting on Thursday.

Although 3.5 games seperate the Royals from the Cleveland Guardians, who lead the AL Central, KC remain in the second of three Wild Card berths, and hold a lead over their divisional foes, the Twins.

Players to Watch

Starting Pitchers

KC: Cole Ragans (11-9, 3.33 ERA) vs Luis Gil (13-6, 3.24 ERA)

Ragans has a 1.153 WHIP, 3.1 BB/9 and 204 K in 167.1 IP.

Last Start: Win, 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K vs MIN

Career vs NYY: 0-0 0 ERA (1 IP, 0 ER) 0 HR in 1 Game

Gil has a 1.163 WHIP, 4.5 BB/9 and 151 K in 130.2 IP.

Last Start: Win, 6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K vs CHC

Career vs KC: N/A

Must Watch Hitters

Kansas City

34 year-old veteran Sal Perez has hit his most homers in 2024 since he led the AL with 48 bombs in 2021. A .389 hitter over the past week of play, Perez' pair of RBIs in Tuesday's game represented his fifth and sixth RBIs over the course of his past 5 games.

Although Bobby Witt Jr. is just 11 for his last 52 hits, the electric 24 year-old has 3 home runs and 5 RBIs from those 11 hits. Having knocked in an RBI on Tuesday, Witt Jr. is a career .349 hitter against the New York Yankees.

5-for-16 over his last four games, veteran infielder Hunter Renfroe continues to make an impact for the Royals. Having logged his 13th home run of the season on Tuesday, the 32 year-old's .312 on-base percentage is his highest since 2021.

New York Yankees

Catcher Austin Wells may have hit a mere .231 over his past ten games, however, Wells has chipped in with 3 home runs and 11 RBIs over that span of time. An MLB sophomore, Wells is slashing .252/.342/.437 on the season.

Since his trade from the Miami Marlins, Jazz Chisholm Jr. has been cooking for the Yankees. In addition to connecting for a .318 batting average over the past two weeks, the Bahamian has 8 stolen bases in his last 12 games.

While Giancarlo Stanton has gone just six for his last 38 at-bats, the outfielder has hit 2 home runs and 5 RBIs in those six hits. Stanton is a .290 hitter against the Royals through 23 career games.

Royals vs Yankees baseball betting odds

Wednesday 9/11	Money Line	Run Spread	Total Runs
Kansas City Royals	+ 120	+1.5 -185	O 8 -110
New York Yankees	- 145	-1.5 +150	U 8 -110

Royals vs Yankees expert picks and game prediction

The Royals have pitched considerably better than the Yankees lately, ranking 16th in combined ERA versus the Yankees' 23rd place over the past two weeks. However, Cole Ragans and Luis Gil are two of their respective clubs' best arms, meaning that this game will likely be a duel of the pitchers.

The Royals have struggled offensively, however. Ranked 28th out of 30 teams in runs scored over the past two weeks, KC only scored 18 runs in six games against the Guardians and Minnesota Twins in the two series' preceding their duel with the Yankees.

While likely a tossup, this game promises to be a relatively low-scoring affair.

Run Line: -1.5 +50

Total Runs: U 8 -110

Prediction: Royals W, 3-1