Boston Red Sox vs Kansas City Royals Prediction, 5/20/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Boston Red Sox vs Kansas City Royals

Date: Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Location: Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO

TV: MLB.TV

Odds/Point Spread: Boston (-122) Kansas City (+102)

The Boston Red Sox (19-26) are hitting the road to Kauffman Stadium on Wednesday where they will attempt to beat the Kansas City Royals (19-27). The moneyline on this contest has Boston at -122 and Kansas City is priced at +102. The over/under has been set at 9. The pitchers who are expected to start are Connelly Early and Michael Wacha.

Boston is slugging .356 and have been called out on strikes 384 times, while drawing a walk on 140 occasions. They have accrued 160 runs batted in in addition to 360 hits so far this year, while their batting average is .235. The Red Sox have hit 79 two-baggers as a unit and have smacked 33 balls out of the park. They have racked up 167 runs scored while holding a team OBP of .310. As a team, the Boston Red Sox are recording 3.6 runs per outing, which is 29th in baseball.

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The Red Sox hold a team ERA of 3.81 on the campaign (9th in baseball), and the staff has struck out 370 hitters. Red Sox pitchers have given up 55 home runs and also 187 runs (7th in MLB). They have walked 147 opposing players and their FIP is 4.26 as a unit so far this season. Boston has relinquished 360 base hits (8.0 per 9 innings) and 172 earned runs. Their strikeout to walk ratio is 2.52 and the pitching staff holds a collective WHIP of 1.25.

The Red Sox relievers have a save percentage of 71.4% and stepped onto the hill in 35 save situations. They have 10 saves this season and have missed out on 4 of 14 save opportunities. The relief pitchers have inherited 54 runners for the season with 31.5% of those runners ended up scoring. Red Sox relief pitchers have entered the game with opponents on base 38 times in addition to having 38 appearances in high leverage situations. The Red Sox have dispatched 140 relief pitchers to the mound this season. The relief pitchers have racked up 21 holds on the year (22nd in baseball).

The Red Sox have converted 71.4% of balls hit into play into outs in their 3,657 innings on the diamond, ranking them 6th in MLB. The Boston Red Sox are sitting with 1,219 putouts at this point in the season, in addition to 413 assists and 22 errors. Their fielding rate is currently at .987 which puts them in 16th in pro baseball, and have accumulated 33 double plays.

Early has taken the ball for 66 frames and has 74 punch outs in his career. His earned run average is 2.99 (22 ER's allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.176. He has given up 56 base knocks (7.6 hits per 9 innings) with 22 free passes. Early (4-4 career mark) sits with a FIP of 2.94 and he has faced 278 batters in the major leagues.

The Royals hold a team slugging % of .386 and they average 4.02 runs per contest (24th in baseball). They have hit 77 two-baggers, while getting a free base 168 times and scoring 189 runs. Kansas City is sitting with 46 home runs this season to go along with 182 runs batted in. They have struck out on 378 occasions (19th in the league) and have earned 372 base knocks. The Kansas City Royals have recorded an on-base percentage of .318 as well as a team batting average of .240 so far this year.

The Royals have a WHIP of 1.365 with a FIP of 4.32 as a unit on the campaign. Their strikeout to walk ratio comes in at 8.50 (392 strikeouts vs 199 bases on balls). They are currently ranked 14th in baseball as a staff in total hits relinquished with 369. They have surrendered 51 HR's and they yield 4.54 runs per 9 innings (18th in baseball). The Kansas City pitching staff have allowed 210 runs this season while holding a team ERA of 4.28 (198 earned runs allowed).

Sitting with 42 save situations, the Royals have earned 20 holds and 8 blown saves. Kansas City has had relievers step onto the hill in 22 save chances and they have recorded 14 saves. Kansas City relief pitchers have an inherited score rate of 24.3% of 37 inherited base runners. Their relievers have come in 50 times in high leverage situations and also on 32 occasions with base runners. They rank 14th in baseball with a save percentage of 63.6%, and they have dispatched 146 relievers to the hill this season.

The Kansas City Royals have gotten 40 double plays and have a fielding rate of .990 (4th in professional baseball). The Royals have recorded 401 assists, 17 errors and have earned a total of 1,248 putouts this year. In their 3,744 innings on the diamond, the Royals have accumulated a defensive efficiency of 70.7% (10th in pro baseball).

During his MLB career, Wacha has conceded 1,610 hits while earning 1,463 strikeouts in 1,684 innings. He has allowed a total of 721 ER's while holding a WHIP of 1.265 and a FIP of 3.8. He has a K/BB ratio of 2.81 and he has faced 7,070 opposing batters so far in his MLB career. Wacha (115-77 career mark) has earned a 3.85 earned run average while surrendering 8.6 hits per 9 innings.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Boston (-122)

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