Atlanta Braves vs Kansas City Royals Picks and Predictions September 27th 2024

There appears to be a chance for light rain in Atlanta on Friday, where the forecasted temperature is 72 degrees. The Braves will be hosting the Royals at Truist Park and are the heavy favorites on the money line at -196. Kansas City has an overall record of 85-74, and they are 2nd in the AL Central. The Braves are 3rd in the NL East.

First pitch for this one is set for 7:20 PM ET, and BSKC will be televising the game. Max Fried will be on the mound for the Braves, while the Royals are starting Brady Singer. Kansas City comes in on a 3 game winning streak, while the Braves have won 3 straight as well.

Kansas City vs. Atlanta Key Information

Brady Singer is looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Giants, as he gets the start for the Royals today vs. the Braves. In that start, which came on September 21st, Singer took the loss after giving up six earned runs in 5 1/3 innings of work. He was tagged for one home run in that outing. Singer has a record of 9-12 this season and an ERA of 3.73. Looking at his numbers on the road, Singer is 3-5 with a 4.71 ERA. At home, he is 6-7 with a 3.54 ERA.

For the season, the Royals are averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 13th in the league. They have been a better offensive team at home, averaging 4.8 runs per game, and are one of the best hitting teams in the league, with a team batting average of .250. As a team, they are 2nd in the league in fewest strikeouts per game.

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Bobby Witt Jr. has been a big part of the Royals offense this season, as he is batting .332 with a team-high 32 home runs and 109 RBIs. He has also been hot of late, hitting .360 over his last seven games. Salvador Perez is also having a strong season at the plate, hitting .273 with 27 homers.

Max Fried gets the start for the Braves today and is coming off a solid outing against the Marlins. In that September 21st start, he went six innings, giving up just two earned runs. Looking back at his last four outings, Fried has given up just one earned run in three of them. This season, he has a record of 10-10, an ERA of 3.42, and has pitched well at home, coming in with an ERA of 4.73 compared to 5.39 on the road. Fried has two complete games and one shutout this year.

Marcell Ozuna has been one of the Braves’ top hitters this season, batting .310 with 39 homers and 102 RBIs. He comes into the game on a seven-game hitting streak. Matt Olson is also a power threat in the lineup, as he has 29 homers this season and is batting .246. Olson is also on a three-game hitting streak.

Over his last eight games, Michael Harris II has been on fire, going 18/37 with five homers and nine RBIs. During this stretch, he has scored 11 runs. As a team, the Braves are averaging 4.4 runs per game and are one of the league’s top home run-hitting clubs.

For an over/under pick, we are leaning towards the over, as this is our lowest projected scoring game of the day, and this line is sitting at 7.5 runs. As for who is going to take this one straight up, we like the Braves to come out on top. Max Fried is our highest projected starter of the day in terms of innings pitched, and Brady Singer is 6th worst in terms of strikeouts among today’s starters.

AL, NL Wild-Card Races in Play as Braves Face Royals

The Kansas City Royals head into the final weekend of the regular season with a chance to clinch a playoff berth. Kansas City (85-74) is tied with the Detroit Tigers for the last two American League wild-card spots. Both teams have a magic number of one following the Minnesota Twins’ extra-innings loss to the Miami Marlins on Thursday night. The Royals could punch their ticket to the playoffs for the first time since 2015 with a win on Friday.

Right-hander Brady Singer (9-12, 3.73 ERA) will take the mound for Kansas City as they visit the Atlanta Braves in the first of a three-game interleague series. Singer will aim to bounce back after a rough stretch in which he’s gone 0-4 with a 6.19 ERA in his last six starts.

Braves Eye Final Wild-Card Berth

The Atlanta Braves (86-71) are still in control of their playoff destiny despite a string of rainouts earlier this week. They currently trail the New York Mets (87-70) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (88-71) by one game for the final two National League wild-card spots. With a three-game series against the Royals and a makeup doubleheader against the Mets on Monday, the Braves could secure a wild-card spot with a series sweep.

Left-hander Max Fried (10-10, 3.42 ERA) will start for Atlanta in the series opener. Fried is coming off a strong outing in which he allowed two runs (one earned) over six innings in a win against the Miami Marlins.

Royals Riding Momentum After Sweeping Nationals

Kansas City comes into the series on a high after sweeping the Washington Nationals in a three-game set. The Royals rallied for a 7-4 win on Thursday, scoring three runs in the ninth inning to secure the victory. Adam Frazier provided the game-winning hit with a two-run, pinch-hit single.

“Made it tough on ourselves these last couple weeks,” Frazier said. “Big to get three wins in here. We win a couple more in Atlanta and we’re right where we want to be.”

Kansas City had endured two seven-game losing streaks in the past month, but their sweep of Washington has given them renewed momentum as they head into this crucial series against the Braves.

Braves Focused on Postseason Push

For the Braves, the path to the playoffs is clear: sweep the Royals and put themselves in position to clinch a wild-card spot before Monday’s doubleheader against the Mets. Atlanta leads the season series against New York 6-5, meaning a win in the doubleheader would give them the tiebreaker over the Mets.

With two rainouts disrupting their schedule earlier this week, Braves manager Brian Snitker is preparing to assess his rotation based on the playoff implications of each game. “Going forward, we’re going to have to assess the situation in totality, I think, as far as the playoff ramifications,” Snitker said.

Pitching Matchup: Singer vs. Fried

Brady Singer will look to rebound from a rough outing against the San Francisco Giants last Saturday, where he allowed six runs in 5 1/3 innings. Singer has struggled in recent starts and will face a tough Braves lineup. His lone appearance against Atlanta came in 2023, where he surrendered eight runs in five innings in a 10-3 Royals loss.

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Max Fried, meanwhile, is looking to continue his strong form. In his last start, Fried earned a win after allowing just one earned run over six innings in a 6-2 victory over the Marlins. This will be Fried’s first career appearance against the Royals.

What’s at Stake

• Royals: Can clinch a playoff spot with a win and extend their postseason run.
• Braves: A sweep of the Royals would keep their playoff hopes alive and set up a critical doubleheader against the Mets on Monday.

With both teams vying for wild-card spots, the intensity is high as the final weekend of the regular season kicks off.