Get the Injury Report for Cubs vs Royals – Sunday August 9th, 2026

Chicago Cubs

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Kansas City Royals

Chicago Cubs Insights

• Chicago Cubs – Moneyline (-165)
  The Chicago Cubs infield defense profiles as the strongest out of every team in action today.
  Explain: Defense is an integral part of preventing hits and runs.
• Michael Busch – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (-105/-125)
  The Kansas City Royals don’t have any same-handed relievers in their bullpen, so Michael Busch is assured to never face a bullpen mismatch all game.
  Explain: Hitters perform worse against pitchers of the same handedness (i.e. righty-vs-righty), and being able to avoid those matchups against the bullpen boosts performance and creates hidden edge.
• Pete Crow-Armstrong – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (-140/+110)
  In today’s game, Pete Crow-Armstrong is at a disadvantage facing the league’s deepest RF fences given that he hits his flyballs to the pull field at a 41.6% rate (99th percentile).
  Explain: This player’s skill set does not match up particularly well with the park he’s in today, which may lead to worse-than-usual performance.

Kansas City Royals Insights

• Randy Dobnak – Over/Under 2.5 Strikeouts (-145/+115)
  Considering that flyball hitters have a significant advantage over groundball pitchers, Randy Dobnak and his 49.5% underlying GB% (per the leading projection system, THE BAT) will be in a tough position today being matched up with 3 opposing GB batters.
  Explain: This mostly has to do with the way the hitter’s swing plane interacts with the pitch trajectory, and it can create diminished performance across all categories and hidden value few are considering.
• Jac Caglianone – Over/Under 0.5 Hits (-215/+165)
  Chicago’s #1-ranked outfield defense of all teams today poses a formidable challenge for Jac Caglianone, who tends to hit a lot of flyballs.
  Explain: This player’s skill set matches up poorly with the opposing team’s defensive strength, which may lead to worse-than-usual performance.
• Compared to their .316 overall projected rate, the .304 the leading projection system (THE BAT X) wOBA of the Kansas City Royals projected offense in this game suggests this version of the lineup a fair amount weaker than usual.
  Explain: Betting lines are often based on seasonal team quality. If today’s lineup is watered down, however, there may be value if markets aren’t accounting for the lower quality of this offense.