Blue Jays vs. Royals prediction and odds for Monday, April 3 (Fade Berrios and trust Singer, but hold your breath)

The Kansas City Royals are yet to win a game, but at least they scored a few runs and that has to feel like a win after getting shut out in back-to-back games to start the season. The Royals had a rough showing in their first three-game series at home, but they will get another shot at it with the Toronto Blue Jays in town for a three-gamer.

In Game 1 of this series, tonight, KC hands the ball to Brady Singer and Toronto goes with Jose Berrios. Let’s check out the odds for this American League matchup. 

Blue Jays vs. Royals odds, spread and total

Blue Jays vs. Royals prediction and pick

The Royals cannot score runs, but if anybody can fix that it might be Jose Berrios. He was once one of the better pitchers in baseball when he was a Twin, but last year he finished with a 5.23 ERA, a 4.55 FIP and he was bottom 10% of all pitchers in expected ERA, expected batting average, and expected slugging. He wasn’t just bad last season, he was downright awful.

It’s surprising too because he was 79th percentile in walk percentage and 73rd in chase rate, so he seemed to have command and still have good stuff, but when he got hit he was hit very hard and damage was always done. 

Singer on the other hand had a good ERA and a really bad chase rate. He doesn’t have the stuff that Berrios showcases, but he was better at minimizing damage when contact was made. The young starter could be ready to make the next step and go from pretty good, but with worrying statistical indicators to just flat out good. 

The bad news for KC is that Bobby Witt Jr. has a .167 OPS, not batting average which is .000. He’s drawn two walks and that’s it. He needs to be the best hitter in this order because if it’s not him it’s an aging Salvador Perez who has to carry the offense. This could be another very rough year in Kansas City, but I like their matchup on the mound and I was fading Jose Berrios a lot last season. Let’s see if that strategy works this year too. 

Follow all Josh Yourish’s bets HERE

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change