Chicago Cubs vs Kansas City Royals Prediction, 8/9/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Chicago Cubs vs Kansas City Royals

Date: Sunday, August 9, 2026

Location: Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO

TV: MLB.TV

Odds/Point Spread: Chicago (-128) Kansas City (+106)

The Kansas City Royals (48-69) welcome the Chicago Cubs (68-49) at Kauffman Stadium on Sunday. The moneyline on this game has the Cubs at -128 and the Royals are at +106. The total is 8.5. The pitchers taking the mound are Matthew Boyd and Randy Dobnak.

Chicago has a slugging percentage of .415 and have struck out 1,004 times, while taking a walk on 502 occasions. They have tallied 563 RBI's in addition to 997 hits this year, while their batting average is sitting at .248. The Cubs have tallied 194 two-baggers as a squad and have hit 145 balls out of the park. They have accumulated 601 runs scored while having a team on-base percentage of .339. As a unit, the Chicago Cubs are notching 5.1 runs per contest, which puts them at 2nd in the league.

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They have a K/BB ratio of 2.62 and the pitching staff has earned a collective WHIP of 1.25. Cubs pitchers have surrendered 173 home runs in addition to 499 runs in total (10th in baseball). Chicago has surrendered 963 base hits (8.3 per 9 innings) and 471 earned runs. The Cubs are sitting with a team ERA of 4.05 this year (12th in MLB), and the staff has struck out 905 hitters. Their pitching staff has walked 345 opposing players and their FIP comes in at 4.62 as a unit so far this year.

The Cubs have sent 381 relief pitchers to the hill on the campaign. The relievers have inherited 163 base runners on the year with 31.3% of those runners ended up crossing the plate. The bullpen are sitting with 43 holds this year (28th in MLB). Cubs pitchers have entered the contest with opponents on base 117 times in addition to having 117 appearances in high leverage situations. They have accumulated 26 saves for the year and have not converted 19 out of their 45 chances to get a save. The Cubs relief pitchers have a save rate of 57.8% and have stepped onto the mound in 94 save situations.

The Chicago Cubs are sitting with 3,140 putouts on the campaign, in addition to 1,085 assists and 44 errors. Their fielding percentage sits at .990 which puts them in 1st in professional baseball, and they have turned 90 double plays. The Cubs have turned 71.9% of balls hit into play into outs out of 9,420 innings on the field, ranking them 3rd in pro baseball.

Boyd (67-78 record in his career) has a FIP of 4.45 and he has gone up against 4,916 batters in the major leagues. He has surrendered 1,122 base hits (8.7 hits per 9 innings) and has had 356 free passes. His earned run average is 4.51 (582 earned runs allowed) and his career WHIP is 1.274. Boyd has taken the hill for 1,160 innings and has totaled 1,108 punch outs in his career.

The Kansas City Royals have earned a team OBP of .312 in addition to a batting average of .245 over the course of the season. They have been rung up on 926 occasions (24th in baseball) and have 961 hits. Kansas City has recorded 117 home runs on the season to go along with 461 RBIs. The Royals hold a slugging percentage of .396 and they tally 4.14 runs per game (26th in baseball). They have put up 213 two-baggers, while getting a free base 359 times as well as earning 484 runs.

The Kansas City pitching staff have surrendered 589 runs over the course of the season while having a team ERA of 4.82 (550 earned runs yielded). They have given up 149 long balls and they surrender 5.16 runs per 9 innings (27th in baseball). The Royals hold a team WHIP of 1.420 in addition to having a FIP of 4.71 as a staff for the season. Their strikeout to walk ratio is 7.60 (864 strikeouts vs 440 bases on balls). They rank 27th in the league as a pitching staff in total hits relinquished with 1,020.

Kansas City bullpen pitchers hold an inherited score rate of 42.0% of 119 inherited runners. Their bullpen pitchers have taken the field 116 times in high leverage situations and on 80 occasions with base runners. Sitting with 103 save situations, the Royals have 52 holds and also 22 blown saves. They are ranked 25th in the league with a save percentage of 56.0%, and they have sent 376 relievers onto the field this season.

The Kansas City Royals have turned 104 double plays and have a fielding rate of .987 (11th in baseball). The Royals have recorded 1,057 assists, 55 errors and have accounted for 3,084 putouts for the season. In their 9,252 innings on the diamond, the Royals have earned a defensive efficiency of 69.4% (20th in pro baseball).

Dobnak (11-12 record in his career) holds a 4.21 earned run average while giving up 9.5 hits per 9 innings. His strikeout to walk ratio is 2.00 and he has faced 737 opposing batters during his pro baseball career. He has given up a total of 80 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.343 and a FIP of 4.1. So far in his pro baseball career, Dobnak has given up 180 hits and he has 100 K's in 171 frames.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Chicago (-128)

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