Los Angeles Angels vs. Kansas City Royals Picks and Prediction, Thursday, September 4, 2025
Grab our Angels vs. Royals predictions for Thursday night’s series finale and get in the game. Los Angeles (65-73, 4th in A.L. West) will close things out with RHP Kyle Hendricks (6-9, 4.89 ERA) as their starting pitcher. Kansas City (70-68, 2nd in A.L. Central) goes with RHP Seth Lugo (8-7, 4.15 ERA) who is scheduled to deliver the first pitch from Kauffman Stadium at 7:40 EST. Don’t go down on strikes! Get our top MLB Predictions and increase your bankroll!
(This was published prior to the conclusion of Wednesday night’s games.)
Angels easing into new role
As the Angels near official elimination, they’ve been able to slip into the spoiler’s role over the last week, beating Houston twice before taking out Kansas City in the series opener on Tuesday. The offense has not been a big reason behind the recent run of results, since the team hit .209 over the last 30 days with only 98 runs scored in 25 games. On This year, the team is 14th in the American League with a .229 team batting average and their 589 runs in 138 games are 10th in the league.
Offensive hits
- No team in the American League had more than the Angels' 1,356 strikeouts.
- Mike Trout is third in the A.L. with 75 walks in only 108 games.
- Jo Adell was tied for fourth in the league with 32 home runs and ninth with 86 RBIs.
On the pitching side, the Los Angeles pitching staff had a 4.72 ERA, 14th in the A.L., with a 1.43 WHIP, the worst mark in the league. Opponents were hitting .261 against them in 138 games and their 1,081 strikeouts were 13th in the A.L. Angels’ starters went into Wednesday’s action with a 28-49 record and 4.67 ERA while their relievers were 37-24 with 32 saves and a 4.80 ERA over 538.2 innings. Thursday’s starter, Kyle Hendricks, is 2-1 with a 3.33 ERA in four career starts against the Royals.
Pitching notes
- Angels’ pitching allowed a league-high 526 walks through 138 games.
- Hendricks makes his 27th start of the season after going 0-2 with a 5.46 ERA over six starts in August.
- Opponents are hitting .267 against Hendricks this season, with 21 home runs and 37 walks.
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Royals hunting in the wild
Following their loss on Tuesday night, the Royals had dropped two straight and three of their last four games. Not awesome for a team on the outside looking in. Prior to Wednesday’s action, they 2.5 games back of the last Wild Card spot in the American League. The offense was unable to score more than three runs in their last four games, and they’ve been shut out twice in their last seven. Kansas City ranks eighth in the American League with a .246 team batting average, but their 530 runs scored were dead last. Over the last month of play, the team hit .253 with 114 runs in 25 games.
Offensive hits
- The Royals are dead last in the American League with 132 home runs, 10 fewer than the next closest club.
- Bobby Witt is seventh in the A.L. with a .297 batting average, tied for second with 89 runs scored and fourth with 34 stolen bases.
- Maikel Franco ranks eighth in the league with a .296 batting average.
The pitching staff allowed exactly five runs in each of their last three losses, and they last recorded a shutout on August 9th. They are second in the American League with a 3.66 team ERA, and their 1.25 WHIP is fifth in the league. Teams were hitting .241 against them and Royals’ pitchers had allowed 141 home runs while striking out 1077 batters. Kansas City’s starters, prior to Wednesday night, were 39-47 with a 3.69 ERA while the bullpen has chipped in with 31 wins, 41 saves and a 3.61 ERA over 478.2 innings. Seth Lugo is making his 27th start of the season and the team is 14-12 when he pitches.
Pitching notes
- The 405 walks allowed by Royals’ pitchers were third fewest in the A.L.
- Lugo has pitched less than five innings in five of his last six starts.
- The Royals’ starter has logged 22.1 innings and is 2-0 with a 1.61 ERA lifetime against the Angels.
Royals -156 (5 units)
This has been the first series of the season between the two and they’ll meet for three more near the end of the month. These are the games that Kansas City needs to start winning if they are to stay in the hunt, at home against a lesser foe. They have the better starting option in this game, but Lugo has been struggling over the last month. That has kind of been his M.O. throughout his career as he owns a 4.41 ERA and a 7-11 record in August. The Royals’ hurler actually turns things on down the stretch, where he owns a 15-9 record and 3.63 ERA pitching in September and October. He is due to break out of his late summer slump and the Angels' offense provides the perfect foil. Los Angeles hasn’t scored more than six runs in their last 14 games, and they are hitting just .230 on the road this year, the second-worst mark in the American League. Hendricks is 2-4 with a 5.05 ERA in 12 road starts this season. The Royals are 37-33 at home while the Angels are 31-38 on the road this year. Kansas City is 6-4 in their last ten games against Los Angeles.
Take the Royals.
Under 9 (5 units)
The total is high in this matchup, given in large part to the recent run of form of both starting pitchers. Lugo has allowed four runs or more in four of his last five starts. Hendricks allowed four or more in three of his last four. However, the Los Angeles hurler has also given up three or less in five of his last eight efforts, including his last three on the road. He is also backed by one of the weakest offenses in the league, who, noted above, don’t hit well on the road. Lugo has given up two runs or less in four of his last eight games, he just needs to get back on course and turning the calendar to a new month is the cure. His offense has scored one run over their last two games and three runs or less in six of their last eight games. The under is 6-4 in the last ten games between these two teams.
Take the under.
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