Starting Lineup for Royals vs Athletics – April 28, 2026

Kansas City Royals

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Athletics

Kansas City Royals Insights

• Kris Bubic – Over/Under 17.5 Pitching Outs (-105/-125)
  Kris Bubic has averaged 96.8 adjusted pitches per GS this year, ranking in the 94th percentile.
  Explain: Pitchers who average more pitches per game are more likely to go deeper into games and record more outs.
• Salvador Perez – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+100/-130)
  Typically, hitters like Salvador Perez who hit a lot of flyballs generally hit worse when facing pitchers who also induce a lot of flyballs such as Aaron Civale.
  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.
• The Kansas City Royals (20 K% (according to the leading projection system, THE BAT X) project to have the 5th-least strikeout-heavy batting order of all teams today.
  Explain: THE BAT X analyzes each player in today’s specific lineup to figure out which teams have the least inherent strikeout potential for the opposing pitcher.

Athletics Insights

• Tyler Soderstrom – Over/Under 0.5 Hits (-195/+150)
  Tyler Soderstrom is projected to bat 6th in the lineup in this matchup, which would be a downgrade from his 89% rate of hitting in the top-half of the lineup this season.
  Explain: The lower in the order a player bats, the fewer plate appearances he will get and the fewer opportunities he will get to hit the Over for every market. A player who hits lower in the order than he normally does may provide extra value opportunity since the market may be based on him hitting higher.
• Athletics – 2H Moneyline
  The Athletics bullpen projects as the 5th-worst in Major League Baseball, via the leading projection system (THE BAT).
  Explain: Most bettors only consider the starting pitcher, but a weak bullpen sneakily creates an easier matchup for the opposing offense and boosts a game’s runs.

Betting Trends

• Athletics – Moneyline (-110)
  The Athletics have hit the Moneyline in 13 of their last 21 games (+7.00 Units / 30% ROI)
• Kansas City Royals – Over/Under 4.5 Team Total (-120/-110)
  The Kansas City Royals have hit the Team Total Over in their last 6 games (+6.25 Units / 91% ROI)
• Vinnie Pasquantino – Over/Under 0.5 Hits (-225/+170)
  Vinnie Pasquantino has hit the Hits Under in 10 of his last 15 games (+10.70 Units / 65% ROI)