Free MLB picks: Yankees vs. Royals odds, best bets, predictions, props for June 12
The Yankees look to finish off a sweep of the Royals on Thursday. Check out the best bets and predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model

The New York Yankees can finish off a road sweep of the Kansas City Royals on Thursday. The Royals, however, will have the pitching advantage on Thursday, as they'll send Seth Lugo to the mound to oppose New York's Will Warren. First pitch is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. ET, and the game will be shown nationally on MLB Network.
If you're interested in MLB betting and want to check out the best bets for Yankees-Royals or are interested in MLB player props at the top betting sites, check out the latest MLB odds and the SportsLine Projection Model's top plays.
Lugo (3-5, 3.46 ERA) has generated solid top-line results in his second season as a Royal, but there may be trouble lurking under the hood, as he has a 5.21 xERA and 4.86 FIP. Those less-than-rosy metrics are caused in part by a drop in strikeout rate (19.2%, down from 21.7% last year) and a jump in walk rate (7.3%, up from 5.7%). The latter could be trouble against a New York lineup that likes to take pitches and leads the league in walk rate. FanDuel Sportsbook sets Lugo at over/under 4.5 strikeouts, with the Over priced -126 and the Under at -102. The SportsLine model rates the Over 4.5 stars out of 5 and projects Lugo for 5.5 Ks.
The rookie Warren (4-3, 5.34) has had a rocky season. While the right-hander has proven himself to be a capable strikeout artist, he's been prone to blowups and walks too many batters. The Los Angeles Dodgers trounced him for seven runs in just 1 1/3 innings, but Warren rebounded to earn a win in Boston in his last outing. FanDuel has Warren set at 4.5 punchouts, with the Over at -136 and the Under at +102. The model is also high on Warren's Over, rating it 4.5/5 and projecting 5.7 Ks.
New York superstar Aaron Judge, who homered in both of the first two games of the series, is the favorite to hit a home run at +180. He's followed by Trent Grisham (+420), Bobby Witt (+500), Ben Rice (+500), Cody Bellinger (+540), Vinnie Pasquantino (+600), Salvador Perez (+630) and Austin Wells (+630).
The Yankees are -147 favorites (wager $147 to win $100) on the money line according to the latest SportsLine consensus odds, while the Royals are +124 (wager $100 to win $124) underdogs. The total comes in at 9. You can find the model's latest projections, along with expert picks for Yankees-Royals, at SportsLine.
Here are the SportsLine model's projections for Thursday's Yankees-Royals game:
NEW YORK YANKEES at KANSAS CITY ROYALS | 6/12 | 7:40 p.m. ET
Money line
Pick: Royals +123
Kansas City wins in 45% of simulations, bringing value at these odds
Run line
Pick: Royals +1.5 (-132)
Kansas City covers in 62% of simulations
Over/Under
Pick: Under 9 (-114)
The Under hits in 51.7% of simulations, bringing value at these odds
Projected score: Yankees 4.6, Royals 4.0