Toronto Blue Jays vs. Kansas City Royals: Picks, Predictions, Odds and Player Props

Yusei Kikuchi of the Toronto Blue Jays and Brady Singer of the Kansas City Royals will duel on the mound in a Monday matchup.

The Blue Jays are traveling from San Diego, where they just took a series from the Padres 2-1. As for the Royals, they return home from Baltimore, where they lost two out of three games to the Orioles.

Kikuchi of the Blue Jays may find himself under pressure in Monday's intriguing battle against Singer and the Royals.

Kikuchi has looked phenomenal so far this season through 21.2 innings, but he has been particularly impressive in his most recent starts. But the southpaw is going up against Singer, the former first-round pick that has a sub-two ERA heading into this game.

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Kansas City Royals betting picks and predictions

Royals ML (-105)

Kikuchi has been a pleasant surprise in the first few weeks of the season. For the last few years, Kikuchi has been extremely difficult to predict. He tends to vary by month, but for right now, he’s on fire.

In his last three starts, the southpaw has a 1.04 ERA. He’s faced the Mariners and Yankees twice in that span, but neither of those offences has been good against left-handed pitching this season.

That can’t be said for the Royals offence which has been extremely explosive. Plus, Kansas City has plenty of right-handed hitters ready to smash Kikuchi like Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez and Maikel Garcia.

Last year was a step in the wrong direction for Singer. The former top prospect struggled with his command and finished the season with a 5.52 ERA with just an 18% strikeout rate in 29 starts.

However, he’s been a different pitcher this season as he’s posted a 1.54 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in four starts. He’s allowed more than three hits in an outing just once this season.

Since the Royals have hit left-handed pitching well and have Singer on the mound, they look worthy of backing.

Under 9.0 (+105)

With two solid pitchers on the mound, this game should not have that many runs.

Kikuchi and Singer have both looked fantastic in the first month of the season and tonight’s game will be in Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium, which is one of the hardest parks to hit a home run in.

Another key factor is that the Blue Jays offence has been terrible recently. Toronto’s lineup managed just six hits in Sunday’s loss to the Padres, and the top half of the order which features plenty of star hitters has been abysmal. George Springer, Bo Bichette, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have not been performing at the plate so far.

Heading into Monday’s game, both bullpens should be relatively fresh. Neither team had to use many relievers on Sunday since both teams were losing late in the game, so the setup pitchers and closers will be available.

If Kikuchi and Singer can provide five innings of solid pitching, there won’t be much pressure on the bullpens. Back these pitchers and take the under in the series opener.

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Kansas City Royals odds

Toronto Blue Jays	-115 ML
Kansas City Royals	-105 ML
Run Line	Blue Jays -1.5
Total	O/U 9.0

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Kansas City Royals player props

Player Home Run Odds

George Springer (TOR Blue Jays)	+550
Bo Bichette (TOR Blue Jays)	+600
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR Blue Jays)	+400
Bobby Witt Jr. (KC Royals)	+400
Vinnie Pasquantino (KC Royals)	+650
Salvador Perez (KC Royals)	+320

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.