Expert MLB Picks – Cash in As Orioles Try for Rare Consecutive Victories over Royals

The Baltimore Orioles will try to pull off a rare feat (for them) when they try to record consecutive wins and cash in for pro baseball gamblers as an MLB betting pick when they battle the Kansas City Royals in the second game of a four-game set at Kauffman Stadium tonight at 8 PM ET.

Friday, July 30, 8:10 PM ET

TV:MASN 2 HD, FSKC-HD

Radio: Sirius 180 XM

MLB Odds

Baltimore Orioles Jacob Arrieta –R +1½ -165 +115

Kansas City Royals Sean O’Sullivan –R -1½ +145 -135

Over 9½ -105

Under 9½ -115

Baltimore (32-70 SU, 43-54-5 O/U, 43-59 RL)

Kansas City (42-60 SU, 53-44-5 O/U, 55-47 RL)

The Orioles pulled off a narrow 6-5 win in extra innings over the Royals on Thursday as Ty Wigginton hit a sacrifice fly in the 11th inning to lift Baltimore to victory.

The Orioles covered the MLB betting Odds as +115 underdogs while the game's 11 combined runs played Over the 8.5-run O/U total.

Here is a look at tonight’s key head-to-head trends, followed by my in-depth analysis and expert MLB Picks.

Orioles are 26-9 in the last 35 meetings in Kansas City.

Over is 30-11 in the last 41 meetings in Kansas City.

Orioles are 50-20 in the last 70 meetings.

Baltimore Orioles 411

• Orioles are 3-9 in their last 12 vs. American League Central.
• Orioles are 2-8 in their last 10 road games vs. a team with a losing home record.

Corey Patterson hit a solo home run and went 2-for-4 with two RBI to lead the way for Baltimore while David Hernandez tossed two scoreless innings in relief to nail down the win.

Kansas City Royals 411

• Royals are 1-4 in their last 5 vs. American League East.
• Royals are 1-8 in their last 9 games vs. a right-handed starter.
• Royals are 0-4 in their last 4 home games.

Wilson Betemit went 1-for-3 with two walks and one RBI to raise his batting average to a blistering .349 while Blake Wood gave up the winning run to get tagged with the loss.

The Starters: Tonight, the Orioles will hand the ball to right-hander Jake Arrieta (3-3, 5.40 ERA) while the Royals counter with right-hander Sean O'Sullivan (1-1, 5.73 ERA).

Arrieta has gone 1-1 with a 6.32 ERA over his last three starts while O’Sullivan has gone an identical 1-1 with a 5.73 ERA over the same span.

Arrieta had his second-shortest start of the season against Minnesota on Sunday, allowing five earned runs on seven hits in four innings of a 10-4 loss.

O'Sullivan took a loss in his Royals debut on Sunday after being traded from the L.A. Angels. The right-hander alllowed five runs on seven hits in five innings of  12-6 loss to the Yankees.

Analysis: I’ll get right to the point with this selection by simply saying that like the Over first and foremost for this contest.

Both starting pitchers have respective ERA’s over 5.00 and have been rocked pretty solidly recently.

The Over has gone a perfect 4-0 in Baltimore’s last four road games against a right-handed starter and an even more impressive 5-0 in Kansas City’s last five home games against a right-handed starter.