Washington Nationals vs. Kansas City Royals

by | May 26, 2023 | mlb

Washington Nationals vs. Kansas City Royals
Date: Friday, May 26th, 8:10 ET
Location: Kauffman Stadium
TV: BSKC
Money Line: Nationals +108/Royals -128
Total Line: 9.5

Betting Preview

Here’s our betting preview for the upcoming MLB clash between the Kansas City Royals and the Nationals on Friday, May 26th at Kauffman Stadium. We provide you with a comprehensive analysis, odds, and predictions to help with your handicapping decision or tail our expert based on the projected lineups and listed starting pitchers.

Betting Odds

ML RL Total
WSH +108 +1.5 O 9.5 (101)
KC -128 -1.5 U 9.5 (-121)

Nationals vs. Royals Projected Lineup

Batting Order Position
Lane Thomas 1 RF
Luis García 2 2B
Keibert Ruiz 3 C
Joey Meneses 4 DH
Jeimer Candelario 5 3B
Dominic Smith 6 1B
Corey Dickerson 7 LF
CJ Abrams 8 SS
Alex Call 9 CF
Patrick Corbin SP


Batting Order Position
Bobby Witt Jr. 1 SS
Edward Olivares 2 LF
Vinnie Pasquantino 3 1B
Salvador Perez 4 C
Matt Duffy 5 3B
MJ Melendez 6 RF
Nicky Lopez 7 2B
Freddy Fermin 8 C
Jackie Bradley Jr. 9 RF
Jordan Lyles SP


Straight Up/Over-Under/ Runline Record

Washington Nationals: 21-29 SU / OU 23-25 / Runline 31-19
Kansas City Royals: 15-36 SU / OU 23-26 / Runline 18-33

The Nationals head into today’s game vs. the Royals with an overall record of 21-29. This mark has them sitting 5th in the NL East. Currently, they are 10 games out of the division lead. Over their last five games, they are 3-2 and have a road and home record of 10-12 and 11-17, respectively. Washington’s overall series record sits at 3-13.

  • The Nationals have covered the runline in 62.0% of their games and have an average run margin of -0.5
  • The Nationals have been favored in 4.0% of their games and have runline records of 14-14 and 17-5 at home and on the road, respectively
  • So far, the Nationals have an over/under record of just 23-25.

Heading into today’s action, the Royals’ record of 15-36 has them sitting 5th in the AL Central. Currently, they are 11.5 games out of the division lead. Over their last five games, they are 1-4 and have a road and home record of 8-17 and 7-19, respectively. Kansas City’s overall series record sits at 3-13.

  • The Royals have covered the runline in 35.3% of their games and have an average run margin of -1.4
  • The Royals have been favored in 11.8% of their games and have runline records of 7-19 and 11-14 at home and on the road, respectively
  • So far, the Royals have an over/under record of just 23-26.

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Pitching Matchup

Pitcher Appearances Started IP Record ERA WHIP HR
Patrick Corbin 10 10 56 3-5 4.47 1.39 8


Patrick Corbin heads into the game with an overall record of 3-5 and an ERA of 4.47. In his three appearances on the road, he has an ERA of 4.90 and record of 1-2. At home, he has put together a mark of 2-3 and ERA of 4.52. His season-long WHIP stands at 1.39, accompanied by a batting average allowed of .289. Teams facing him have amassed a slugging percentage of .434.

In his last outing, Patrick Corbin finished with a quality start and picked up the win in a 5-2 victory over the Tigers. Corbin gave up two runs and six hits across six innings.

Pitcher Appearances Started IP Record ERA WHIP HR
Jordan Lyles 10 10 56 0-8 7.15 1.32 14


The Royals will turn to starter Jordan Lyles who has an overall record of 0-8. After 10 appearances, his ERA is 7.15 and he has a K/9 figure of 0.8. Also, he has compiled a FIP of 6.08 and an OBP of .305.

After a loss against the White Sox, Jordan Lyles is coming off a performance where he gave up five runs on four hits over five innings.

Nationals vs. Royals Offense Outlook

The Nationals have played 50 games and are ranked 23rd in the league with 4.2 runs per game. Washington ranks 29th in home runs, having gone deep 36 times. Their average is .265, including .257 on the road and .259 at home.

Washington Nationals Top Hitters On The Road

Player BA HR SLG WOBA
Joey Meneses .309 2 .444 .350
Lane Thomas .271 3 .376 .317
Dominic Smith .301 0 .329 .341
Jeimer Candelario .256 3 .427 .303
Luis García .278 1 .361 .306


Washington Nationals Top Hitters: Last Five Games

Player BA H R HR SLG
Lane Thomas .390 8 4 1 .640
Jeimer Candelario .310 7 3 1 .560
Riley Adams 1.000 5 1 1 2.625
Joey Meneses .317 7 2 0 .367
CJ Abrams .271 3 2 1 .542


The Royals have played 52 games and are currently ranked 26th in the league, averaging 3.9 runs per game. Kansas City ranks 22nd in home runs, (49) and have a collective batting average of .229, including .213 on the road and .221 at home.

Kansas City Royals Team Hitting Stats

Team Games Runs HR BA OBP SLG
Royals 52 3.9 (26th) 49 (22nd) .229 (26th) .292 (30th) .292 (30th)


Kansas City Royals Top Hitters: Last Five Games

Player BA H R HR SLG
Salvador Perez .321 5 2 2 .721
Maikel Garcia .283 5 2 0 .350
Vinnie Pasquantino .237 4 1 1 .450
Michael Massey .150 3 2 1 .350
Edward Olivares .271 4 3 0 .354


Free MLB Pick

After a rough beginning to the season Nats starter Patrick Corbin has put recorded three straight quality starts. He has limited history against the Royals with Patrick Duffy having the lion’s share of ABs (12 of 19), but has decent numbers holding them to .158 BA over 19 at bats. Royals starter Jordan Lyles has tossed the odd good one at home, but the team has yet to get a win in any of his ten starts including five at Kauffman Stadiuim. Take Washington +105.

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