Boston Red Sox vs Kansas City Royals Picks and Prediction for Wednesday May 20 2026
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The Boston Red Sox travel to face the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday May 20, 2026, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. First pitch is scheduled for 7:40 PM ET with television coverage on MLB.TV. At the time of this writing the odds were not released. Be sure to check out our free MLB picks.
Starting Pitchers
Connelly Early is expected to start for Boston in this matchup. The left-hander enters with a 3-2 record, a 3.21 ERA, and a 1.20 WHIP across 47.2 innings pitched. He has allowed 39 hits while recording 45 strikeouts and issuing 18 walks with seven home runs surrendered. Kansas City is expected to counter with Michael Wacha, who enters with a 4-2 record, a 2.83 ERA, and a 0.99 WHIP over 57.1 innings. He has allowed 39 hits while striking out 47 batters and walking 18 while allowing seven home runs.
Boston Hoping to Build on Series Opening Victory
The Red Sox enter Wednesday with a 20-27 overall record and a 12-13 road record. Boston recently won over Kansas City 3-1 after recently losing to Atlanta 8-1 and 3-2 in 10 innings. The Red Sox also recently won over Atlanta 3-2 before recently losing to Philadelphia 3-1. Boston has played several close games recently and will look to build momentum after the strong pitching performance in the series opener.
Boston is batting .235 as a team with 170 runs scored and 369 hits this season. The Red Sox have hit 34 home runs while posting a .310 on-base percentage and a .357 slugging percentage. On the mound, Boston owns a 3.75 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP while opponents are batting .236 against the pitching staff. The Red Sox have also recorded 383 strikeouts while issuing 148 walks this season.
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One key strength for Boston entering this matchup is pitching consistency. The Red Sox carry the lower ERA, lower WHIP, and better opponent batting average compared to Kansas City. Boston also held the Royals to one run in the previous meeting and has allowed three runs or fewer in three of its last five games.
Royals Looking for More Offensive Production
Kansas City enters Wednesday with a 20-28 overall record and a 13-11 home record. The Royals recently lost to Boston 3-1 after recently winning over St. Louis 2-0. Kansas City also recently lost to St. Louis by scores of 4-2 and 5-4 in 11 innings while recently losing to the White Sox 6-2. The Royals have struggled offensively during this stretch, scoring two runs or fewer in three of their last five games.
Kansas City is batting .238 as a team with 190 runs scored and 378 hits this season. The Royals have hit 46 home runs while posting a .316 on-base percentage and a .384 slugging percentage. On the mound, Kansas City owns a 4.26 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP while opponents are batting .239 against the pitching staff. The Royals have issued 202 walks and recorded 400 strikeouts this season.
One positive for Kansas City is power production. The Royals hold the edge in home runs, runs scored, and slugging percentage entering this matchup. However, Kansas City’s pitching staff has struggled more consistently than Boston’s, and the offense has cooled recently after being limited to one run in the series opener.
Boston Red Sox vs Kansas City Royals Picks and Prediction
Boston Red Sox vs Kansas City Royals Pick
- Pick: Boston Red Sox Moneyline
Boston enters this matchup with the advantage in overall pitching numbers and recently defeated Kansas City 3-1 in the series opener. The Red Sox hold the lower ERA, WHIP, and opponent batting average while also sending a starter to the mound with a strong 3.21 ERA. Kansas City has struggled offensively during the past week, and Boston’s ability to limit scoring recently gives the Red Sox the edge entering Wednesday.
Boston Red Sox vs Kansas City Royals Total Pick
- Pick: Take the under if the total is set at 8
I would lean toward the under because both starting pitchers enter with ERA numbers near or below 3.20 and both teams have played several lower-scoring games recently. Boston recently won the opener 3-1, while Kansas City has scored two runs or fewer in three of its last five games. Boston’s pitching staff has also consistently limited opponents this season with a 3.75 ERA and a .236 opponent batting average. This matchup profiles as another controlled scoring game.
Final Score Prediction: Boston Red Sox 4 – Kansas City Royals 2
This prediction was written before the completion of game play on Tuesday.
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