The Royals and Mariners play the first game of their three-game series on Friday, May 1.

Seattle is a -143 moneyline favorite, while Kansas City is +119 on DraftKings Sportsbook. The game total is set at over/under seven runs.

Let’s get into a pick and prediction for this Royals vs. Mariners game.

Royals vs. Mariners prediction, preview

It’s been an ugly season for the Royals, who boast one of the worst records in the majors thus far. They’re journey continues with a challenging series against reigning American League runner-up Seattle. This three-game series will be on the road before Kansas City begins a stretch of AL Central matchups.

Cole Ragans is on the mound for Kansas City, in what has been a shaky season for the 28-year-old. He struck out 11 while allowing five hits and one earned run (a home run) across six frames in his last start. The outing prior was 4.1 innings, seven earned runs, four hits, eight walks and six strikeouts. Every other outing is a good performance; the ones in between are typically brutal.

If you’re just looking at the pattern, this would Ragans’ next bad start. That said, the Mariners are a below-average offense overall and have struggled against lefties this season. They’re batting .204 against left-handed pitchers, which ranks 28th in the majors. Overall, the team is batting .234 and producing 4.19 runs per game.

Meanwhile, Bryan Woo is starting for the Mariners. Although his season hasn’t been superb, it’s not inconsistent. He’s capable of pitching deep into games, allowing a few runs in all but one of his outings. His most recent start is concerning, however. He allowed seven earned runs and nine hits in 3.0 innings. It’s his only start under 5.0 innings and just the second start under 6.0 innings.

Royals vs. Mariners Pick, Best Bet

Although Ragans is coming off a good start, and Woo is coming off a bad start, I’m expecting Woo to be the better pitcher tonight. No, this doesn’t have to do with the aforementioned pattern, it’s just belief that the better overall pitcher shows up at home.

Seattle’s offense isn’t great, especially against lefties, so I’m sticking with Mariners moneyline rather than run line.

Best Bet: Seattle Mariners ML (-143)