Yankees vs. Royals prediction: ALDS Game 3 odds, pick, best bet

After beating the Yankees in Game 2, the Royals return home Wednesday with the ALDS tied at 1-all.Game 1 went Over the total, but Monday’s Game 2 hit the Under as the Yankees’ powerful lineup was held lifeless for much of night.While Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge is on his way to a second American League MVP award, he’s just 1-for-7 in this series against the Royals.Judge is a crucial part of this Yankees offense, and if he’s struggling at the plate, we could be in for another low-scoring outcome in Game 3 on Wednesday (7:08 p.m.ET, TBS).Even if Nestor Cortes was healthy, I’m not sure he’d be getting the Game 3 start ahead of Clarke Schmidt. After all, Schmidt has a better ERA (2.85 vs.

377) and strikeouts per nine innings (9.8 vs.8.4).Cortes has more games under his belt, coupled with three postseason starts.

Unfortunately, it’s a moot point as he is still on the injured list with an elbow injury.Schmidt, who got a taste of the playoffs in 2022 pitching out of the bullpen, is making his postseason starting debut.He missed more than three months with a lat strain and hasn’t faced the Royals since 2022.That lack of familiarity is what you want, especially when targeting a low-scoring game. Kansas City has a below-average offense based on the wRC+ metric (96).

With runs at a premium during the postseason, it’s difficult to envision this game as a high-scoring affair. Seth Lugo gets the start for the Royals.At one point, he was my longs hot for the Cy Young award.

He has been a quality pitcher since making his debut with the Mets in 2016.However, the Mets couldn’t quite decide whether Lugo was better suited as a starting pitcher or a reliever. It wasn’t until Lugo landed in San Diego in 2023 that he became a full-time starter. After going 8-7 with a 3.57 ERA with the Padres, he went 16-9 with a 3.00 ERA with the Royals.Lugo has held his own against the Yankees.In 96 plate appearances against the right-hander, the Yankees have a .229/.3...