This game features one of the worst teams in the American League against a team fighting for a Wild Card spot in the AL as the Kansas City Royals travel to take on the Toronto Blue Jays in game three of a three-game series in which the Blue Jays have won the first two games of the series. Will Toronto complete the series sweep at home or will Kansas City end their three-game losing streak? Let’s take a look at how these teams have fared this season.

The Kansas City Royals enter this game with the worst record in the American League with a record of 44-99 which puts them 35.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the final Wild Card spot in the AL and 31.5 games behind the Minnesota Twins for 1^st place in the AL Central. Kansas City has compiled a record of 3-5 in September and is on a three-game losing streak which includes a 1-5 loss on the road against the Toronto Blue Jays in game two of the series on Saturday. The lone run for the Royals came in the 5^th inning when Edward Olivares hit a one-run home run.

Toronto enters this game with a record of 79-63 which puts them 11.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for 1^st place in the AL East, however, if the playoffs started today the Toronto Blue Jays would be the final Wild Card team in the American League. The Blue Jays have compiled a record of 6-2 in September and are on a two-game winning streak which includes Saturday’s 5-1 win in game two of the series at home against the Kansas City Royals. Two of the runs for Toronto came in the 5^th inning when Alejandro Kirk and Daulton Varsho scored off a base hit from George Springer. 

BookMaker has the Toronto Blue Jays listed as -185 money line favorites at home against the Kansas City Royals in game three of the series on Sunday. Toronto has won eight of the last ten including the previous five matchups in a row while winning by an average margin of 1.8 runs per game over the last ten and 2.67 runs per game over the last three games in the series.

The Royals have the advantage at pitcher for game three of the series as Kansas City will send Cole Ragans to the mound while Toronto will send Jose Berrios to the mound on Sunday. Ragans is 6-4 this season with a 3.00 ERA while recording 87 strikeouts while Berrios is 9-10 on the year with an ERA of 3.68 and has recorded 153 strikeouts.

Cole Ragans is 2-0 with a no-decision in his last three starts this season and has not allowed a run in those matchups while recording 27 strikeouts his last start came at home against the Chicago White Sox in which Ragans did not allow a run while recording seven strikeouts in a win.

Jose Berrios is 0-2 with a no-decision in his last three starts this season while allowing a total of 12 runs and recording 13 strikeouts in those matchups with his last start coming on the road against the Oakland Athletics in which Berrios allowed two runs and struck out seven in a no-decision.

Toronto has been the better team this season and in the series, winning eight of the last ten including the previous five matchups in a row. However, Cole Ragans has been one of the best pitchers over his last three starts without allowing a run and averaging nine strikeouts per game in those matchups. As a result, I am taking the run line for the Kansas City Royals at +1.5 on BookMaker for game three of the series on Sunday.