The Red Sox were able to beat the Royals in five innings thanks to a huge mismatch on the mound

It was an average day in baseball yesterday. I had two main games and player accessories. The first game was between the Reds and Phillies, and Cincinnati won in the first five innings. They tied at five, so it was a bath. But, I hit two player props, giving some advantage. Unfortunately, the security guards came out with bats yesterday and took all of that away. I’m switching to a different series here as the Red Sox play the Royals.

The Boston Red Sox are struggling to start the season, and have already made some moves within their clubhouse. They fired manager Alex Cora, which was a bit of a surprise. I think the team was working faster than they needed to, but maybe they thought slacking off would change things. It worked for the Phillies, who did the same. However, it hasn’t worked out for the Red Sox. They are in last place in the division and are just 20-27 this season.

They have some reason to be inspired by today’s travel. They have their offseason registration, and arguably their best pitcher will walk today in Ranger Suarez. On the year, Suarez is 2-2 with a 2.44 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. It’s still early, but this is the best whip of Suarez’s career. He also has his best ERA since he is a combination reliever and starter. He was solid on the road, even though it was only three starts. In 18.1 innings, he has allowed 11 hits and four earned runs. He has not allowed a run in his past 17.1 innings, and actually has five starts with no earned runs allowed, and three earned runs allowed. Royals hitters hit .286 against Suarez.

Coming into this season, the American League Central looked like a battle between the Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardian. Two teams have winning records in the division: the Rangers and the Chicago White Sox. The Minnesota Twins are ahead of the Royals and Tigers. That should give you a small picture of how bad this year has been for the Royal Family. The good news is that the division is still together, and the Royals only have 6.5 games left.

TREVOR STORY QUESTIONS RED SoX DIRECTION AFTER FIRING MANAGER ALEX CORA, FIVE COACHES: ‘UP IN THE AIR’

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Ranger Suarez pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Fenway Park in Boston, Mass., on May 14, 2026. (Photos by Eric Canha/Imagn)

Their stats are actually pretty decent as a team, so it might just be a matter of time before the wins start coming. They could probably use some help in the pitching department, as the team has a 4.26 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. Bailey Falter starts today for the team. He has thrown 5.1 innings, allowing six earned runs on 11 hits and three walks. Falter, well, has failed since coming to the Royals last year. He has played in seven games since last year and has allowed 10 walks, 31 hits and 21 earned runs over 17.1 innings. Falter has allowed three hits to Red Sox batters in 23 at-bats, so maybe there’s a chance for a good outing.

Even if Falter has decent numbers against the Red Sox, I’m not betting on it happening today. The Red Sox and Royals are both in the middle. However, there is a big difference in setting up on the mound today. We have seen that Suarez is completely locked in and it is difficult to get the four runs he has earned. I support him being locked up. I prefer to pass them fifth at -125.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Bailey Falter delivers a pitch against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., on Aug. 17, 2025. (Photos by Denny Medley/Imagn)

I don’t see any player accessories that stand out today, so I’ll skip those for this game.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE GAMES FOXNEWS.COM

For more information on sports betting and games, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024