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Diamondbacks vs. Royals Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Wednesday, July 24

The Arizona Diamondbacks and Kansas City Royals meet in a rubber match of their three game series on Wednesday.

By Benjamin Upson

Jul 22, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) is doused with water by catcher Salvador Perez (13) after defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 22, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) is doused with water by catcher Salvador Perez (13) after defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports / Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
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An interleague series continues this week in the midwest as the Arizona Diamondbacks and Kansas City Royals are tied at a win apiece in their best-of-three meeting. The benefit of the MLB schedule is that we see every team playing against each other across this marathon season.

Both teams continue to be relevant in their league’s playoff picture. Kansas City is inside the playoff bubble at 56-45, while Arizona is right on the bubble and needs to keep pushing at 52-50. Both games have been ratchet anti-climatic to this point, but perhaps Wenesday’s meeting gets more intense. Here’s how to play this one.

Diamondbacks vs. Royals Odds, Run Line and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Run Line

  • Diamondbacks +1.5 (-192)
  • Royals -1.5 (+160)

Moneyline

  • Diamondbacks: +102
  • Royals: -122

Total

  • 9 (Over -115/Under -105)

Diamondbacks vs. Royals Betting Trends

  • Diamondbacks are 14-17 versus non-league opponents this season
  • Royals are 35-19 at home this season
  • Diamondbacks are 4th in MLB in runs per game
  • Royals are 25-20 following a loss this season

Diamondbacks vs. Royals: How To Watch

  • Date: Wednesday, July 24
  • Game Time: 8:10 PM
  • Venue: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO
  • How To Watch (TV, Streaming): D-Backs TV, Bally Sports Kansas City, MLB.TV
  • Diamondbacks Record: 52-50
  • Royals Record: 56-46

Diamondbacks vs. Royals Key Players To Watch

Diamondbacks

Ketel Marte: The pride and joy of this Diamondbacks team is just how good second baseman Ketel Marte has been this season. The 2023 runner-ups haven’t quite been the image of their historic run last year, but Marte has been the leader. He’s batting .294 with 21 home runs, 61 RBI and 43 walks. He’s played in 97 of Arizona’s 102 games and has a pair of homers and four RBI in this series with the Royals. He ranks in the top 15 for league average and home runs, while also in the top 25 for RBI.

Royals

Bobby Witt Jr: There is no player in baseball right now doing what Bobby Witt Jr. is doing for the Royals. The 24-year-old shortstop is an incredible 13-19 since the all-star break with two home runs and seven RBI across five games. His .340 average ranks second in all of the MLB behind Cleveland’s Steven Kwan (.347). In Monday’s series opener, Witt was just a single shy of hitting for the cycle. He has recorded a hit in 15 of the Royals 16 games in the month of July. His stat line for the year is .340 with 18 home runs, 70 RBI and a .977 OPS.

Diamondbacks vs. Royals Prediction and Pick

Young star power is on display in this series with Bobby Witt, Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll being the headliners. Wednesday’s contest marks the rubber game of the series, with the winning team grabbing both games fairly handily on Monday and Tuesday. The ceiling for both these teams is likely playoff appearances. 

Ryne Nelson steps onto the hill for the Diamondbacks in this one. At 7-6 with a 4.78 ERA, 68 strikeouts and 22 walks, the stats are certainly decent enough. Based solely on numbers, he’s the third option in this rotation behind Zac Gallen and Brandon Pfaadt. Nelson opened his second half of the season on Friday against the Cubs, tossing 5.2 innings allowing a run on three hits, with two walks and nine strikeouts. July has been his best month as he so far has just a 2.22 ERA and 24.1 innings of work under his belt in four starts. 

On the opposing side, Michael Wacha is finding a rhythm on the mound with yet another team in the Royals. The journeyman has been a member of five different franchises in the past five seasons. At 33 years old, his numbers are still worthy enough in this league.

Wacha is 7-6 with a 3.55 ERA, 85 strikeouts and 28 walks. Much like Nelson, his first start of the second half on Friday was a strong one. He tossed seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits on a walk with seven strikeouts. Wacha has logged a good amount of time already this season, 96.1 innings and he could be on pace for his most innings pitched since 2019 (126.2).

This game is going to come down to the late innings. Both pitchers aren’t the greatest options in this game and I can’t truly see a clear edge on either side. The Royals have a bullpen ERA of 4.12 compared to the D-Backs at 4.23. It feels like this could be the close game that we’ve been hoping for in this series. 

We do know that the Royals have the best player in baseball over the past week in Witt and that might make the difference in this one. The Royals lineup is also a bit more balanced than the D-Backs in my opinion. I’m backing Kansas City to win the rubber game of this series at home.

Pick: Royals To WIN

Note: Game odds are subject to change.

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