MLB American League Showdown: Kansas City Royals vs. Baltimore Orioles

Major League Baseball seems to go overlooked at this time of year. The major soccer leagues are all finished, the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Finals are in full swing, but in the meantime, some of the best baseball games in the world are being played. The season is almost a third of the way complete and this year has already been an action-packed season. The standings are surprising as teams try to improve their place before the All-Star Game on July 12 and tonight, two of the best teams in the American League go head-to-head.

The Baltimore Orioles are currently in first place in the tight AL East, just a half a game ahead of the New York Yankees and three games ahead of last year's AL Division Champions the Toronto Blue Jays. The Orioles are one of the most consistent teams in professional Baseball. Their history has seen them win the World Series only three times, but they are regularly in the playoffs and this year could be the year that the Orioles challenge for a title.

The Kansas City Royals are in second place in the AL Central only two games back of the Cleveland Indians (have not won a world series since 1948). The Royals are 30-27 but have dropped their last four straight, including the three-games series against the Indians, and the first game of the three-game series with the Orioles, last night 4-1.

The Royals will be sending Yordana Ventura to the mound tonight, as he looks to continue his perfect record against teams in the AL East. The Orioles will go with their right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez. Ventura definitely has the advantage over the Orioles, as he is 4-1 with an ERA of 1.96 against Baltimore in his four-year career. This is great news for punters because sports books around the internet all have the Orioles as favorites to win.

MLB Sports Betting

The MLB is always live at bet365 and tonight the UK sportsbook has attractive odds on the game. The Orioles are out in front of the odds at 1.76, while the Royals are at 2.10. Don't miss out on the live in play lines throughout the game.