MLB Wild Card picks, best bets on Tuesday

Consistent pitching was key to the Royals' first return to the postseason since their World Series title in 2015.

However, if you look a little closer, there are weaknesses that their employee numbers reveal.

Aside from the benefits of pitching in a home run-depleted ballpark like Kauffman Stadium, which has the fourth-fewest home runs in baseball, Kansas City pitchers were not particularly successful strikeouts, ranking 22nd overall . Place.

Cole Ragans, coming off his best month – with a 1.08 ERA in four starts – in a career season, will make his playoff debut in Game 1 of the wild-card round against the Orioles.

Momentum aside, Ragans has seen an overall increase in exit velocity this year. The third-year left-hander is tasked with stopping a Baltimore lineup that has posted the fourth-highest batting average in barrels per plate appearances.

Royals vs Orioles Game 1 Odds

Corbin Burnes takes the mound for Baltimore as the No. 1 prospect, which is what he was acquired as when the Orioles traded for him in the offseason. According to Statcast, Burnes remained in the top five percent of pitchers in hard hit percentage.

With the exception of Bobby Witt Jr., who finished with a second-best overall WAR of 9.2, this isn't a strong power-hitting Royals lineup.

Kansas City batted .236 on the road, and beyond that, Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez are the only Royals who hit balls efficiently, according to Statcast.

Burnes will be making his ninth postseason appearance and has a playoff ERA of 2.84.

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When both bullpens are at full strength, there isn't much difference between the two; They were nearly identical in both ERA and FIP in 2024.

This should be a prime pitching showcase between Burnes and the up-and-coming Ragans, but when push comes to shove, experience and hitting power matter.

THE GAME: Orioles Moneyline (-146, FanDuel)

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Sean Stangedi covers NFL, NHL, MLB and college football for the New York Post. He focuses primarily on decisions that reflect market value while tracking trends to mitigate risk.