Athletics (42-57) vs. Kansas City Royals (51-74) August 17, 2026 7:40 pm EDT The Line: Kansas City Royals -187 / Athletics 173; Over/Under: 9 (Get latest betting odds)
The Athletics and Kansas City Royals meet Monday in MLB action at Kauffman Stadium. Here’s a Kansas City Royals vs Athletics Prediction. This article will include a Kansas City Royals vs Athletics Pick.
The Athletics are 49-75 on the year and play the Twins and Astros next. The Athletics are batting .244 on the season, have a .318 OBP, and have a .402 slugging percentage. The Athletics’ pitching staff has a 5.45 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. Shea Langeliers leads the Athletics with 99 hits and 51 RBI, while Nick Kurtz and Tyler Soderstrom have combined for 197 hits and 125 RBI.
Mason Barnett gets the ball for the Athletics, and he is 1-3 with a 6.16 ERA and 36 strikeouts this season. This will be Barnett’s second career game against the Kansas City Royals.
The Kansas City Royals are 51-74 on the year and play the Tigers and Blue Jays next. The Kansas City Royals are batting .242 on the season, have a .310 OBP, and have a .393 slugging percentage. The Kansas City Royals’ pitching staff has a 4.78 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. Bobby Witt Jr. leads the Kansas City Royals with 117 hits and 43 RBI, while Salvador Perez and Jac Caglianone have combined for 208 hits and 110 RBI.
Michael Wacha gets the ball for the Kansas City Royals, and he is 5-8 with a 3.46 ERA and 117 strikeouts this season. Wacha is 1-2 with a 4.22 ERA and 17 strikeouts in his career against the Athletics.
The Royals are the better team, and Wacha has been solid this season with a 3.46 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. Barnett has been rocked through 38 innings with a 6.16 ERA and 1.45 WHIP. I get it. However, I’m not laying this price with the Royals. The bottom line is both of these teams are terrible, and laying a -200 price with a team that’s 23 games below a .500 record isn’t wise. I’ve faded both of these teams all season. If forced to pick a side, I need some bang for my buck. Give me the A’s and the plus money.