Royals vs. Angels Prediction and Odds for Monday, June 20 (Can Bubic Limit Angels' Lineup?)

The 33-36 Los Angeles Angels bring a three-game winning streak into tonight's series-opener with the 23-42 Kansas City Royals at 9:38 PM EST.

Winners of three of four themselves, Kansas City sends Kris Bubic to the mound today. Bubic has a 4.30 ERA in three starts since returning from the minors and doesn't yet have a win this season. He's 0-4 with an 8.36 ERA overall.

Noah Syndergaard gets the nod for the Angels after holding three of his last four opponents to just one run. He has a 1.69 ERA in June and hasn't allowed a home run this month.

Can Syndergaard continue his strong play or will Bubic finally get his first win of the campaign?

Let's peak at the odds from WynnBET Sportsbook to find the value in this Royals vs Angels matchup:

Royals vs Angels Odds, Run Line and Total

Run Line:

• Royals +1.5 (-130)
• Angels -1.5 (+110)

Moneyline:

• Royals: +172
• Angels: -187

Total:

• 8.5 (Over -120/Under +100)

Royals vs Angels Prediction and Pick

When Kris Bubic woke up this morning, I think he immediately checked his phone hoping for an alert that Mike Trout wasn't going to play tonight. The Angels' superstar is on fire, drilling a home run in each of his last three games, and I know Bubic wants no part of the three-time MVP.

Unfortunately for Bubic, it appears Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and Taylor Ward will all play, giving the Angels a trio at the top of the order than can unload on the struggling Royals lefty. Bubic has pitched much better since returning from Triple-A Omaha, but he still walks too many batters and has a 6.73 expected ERA.

Noah Syndergaard appears to have turned his season around himself. After posting a 5.40 ERA in May, he's settled down to only give up two runs this month. Kansas City averaged only 2.33 runs per game over their last six and should struggle to score against an improved Thor.

Los Angeles has lost three straight starts by Syndergaard but not because of him. Their lineup scored only one run combined in those three losses, so their offense needs a strong performance behind the 29-year-old righty.

I'm not so sure they'll get it though, as Bubic now throws a changeup as his dominant pitch. Trout absolutely mashes changeups, but the rest of the lineup struggles. Besides Trout, only Jack Mayfield has a positive run value against the pitch, which basically means that the entire lineup does poorly against changeups.

The Angels should win, but I can't trust their odds on the run line with their struggles against Bubic's dominant pitch. They're dead-last in MLB in OPS against left-handed pitchers over the last three weeks and while Trout may continue his home run streak, there's only so much he can do by himself.

Thus, I'll be playing the under. It's 5-1-1 in the Royals' last six games as a road underdog and hit in three straight with the Angels as a home favorite. It's risky picking an under with Bubic on the mound, but his profile aligns with Los Angeles' weakness. Even if he struggles, Syndergaard should shut the Royals down and give us enough wiggle room to cash the under.

Pick: Under 8.5 (+100)

Follow all of Joe Summers' betting picks here.