Los Angeles Angels vs. Kansas City Royals Picks and Prediction for Thursday, September 4, 2025

Los Angeles Angels (65-73) vs. Kansas City Royals (70-68) 

The 2025 Major League Baseball season goes on Thursday, September 4, with the Los Angeles Angels taking on the Kansas City Royals in the American League showdown at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, and we’ve got you covered with our Angels vs. Royals prediction.

Los Angeles and Kansas City wrap up a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium. The Angels beat the Royals 5-1 in the opener, while the middle game has been excluded from the analysis. This article was published before Wednesday’s results.

Read more about this Angels vs. Royals prediction, and check out all our free MLB picks for Thursday’s card. The first pitch at Kauffman Stadium is set at 7:40 PM ET, and the Royals open as -150 moneyline favorites with a total of 9.5 runs.

The Angels are playing the spoiler                      

The Los Angeles Angels outhit the Royals 9-4 this past Tuesday and fully deserved that 5-1 victory. Mitch Farris threw five innings of a one-run, three-hit ball in his major league debut, while Jo Adell went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer. Mike Trout was scratched from the lineup because of a skin infection, and he was questionable for Wednesday’s clash against Kansas City.

The Angels have gone 4-7 in their previous 11 games overall. They’ve scored just 31 runs on an abysmal .183/.253/.337 triple-slash during that stretch, while the Angels bullpen has amassed an underwhelming 4.73 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, and a .264 batting average against. The Halos were 7.5 games behind the last wild-card spot in the American League on Wednesday morning.

Kyle Hendricks is expected to take the mound at Kauffman Stadium on Thursday night. The 35-year-old right-hander carries a 6-9 record with a 4.89 ERA and 1.31 WHIP in 26 starts (136.1 innings pitched) in 2025. He went 0-2 in August, posting a 5.46 ERA and 4.38 FIP across six starts and 29.2 innings of work.

Hendricks is 2-1 with a 3.33 ERA in four career starts against the Royals. He met Kansas City once in 2024, and the Royals shelled him for six earned runs on eight hits across five innings. The current Royals are 29-for-97 with five doubles and five home runs against Hendricks.

The Royals are desperate for wins                                     

The Kansas City Royals mustered just four hits in the opening game of this series. They took a lead thanks to Vinnie Pasquantino’s sacrifice fly, but it was all we saw from the Royals’ offense. Kansas City recorded the sixth loss in its last 10 games, and the Royals fell 2.5 games behind the last wild-card spot in the American League.

During that 10-game stretch, the Royals have accounted for 41 runs on a .244/.308/.392 slash line. Their bullpen has been solid across 35 innings of work, posting a 3.34 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and a .250 batting average against.

Seth Lugo is projected to get the starting call on Thursday night. The 35-year-old righty is 8-7 with a 4.15 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in 26 starts (145.1 IP) this season. He struggled a lot in August, going 0-2 with a 9.11 ERA and 7.71 FIP through six starts and 26.2 innings of work.

Lugo is 2-0 with a 1.61 ERA in three career starts and one relief appearance against the Angels. He met them twice in 2024 and gave up just three earned runs on nine hits and three walks across 15 frames of work. The current Angels are 13-for-58 with five doubles and a home run against Lugo.

Kansas City Royals ML (5 units)

I expect Seth Lugo to turn the corner on Thursday night. He has a strong record against the Angels, who have struggled to hit the right-handed pitchers over the last 10 days, posting a .600 OPS and 67 wRC+. The Royals haven’t impressed, posting a .691 OPS and 89 wRC+ against the righties during that span, but that’s still better than the Angels’ record.

The Royals’ relief pitching is another reason to take the hosts in this game. Kansas City has a lot of dangerous arms in its bullpen, which is arguably better than the Angels ‘pen.

Under 9.5 (5 units)

It’s hard to expect a high-scoring affair despite Seth Lugo’s recent woes. Lugo has done a good job through the first four months of the season, and I mentioned his strong record against the Angels’ lineup.

Kyle Hendricks doesn’t breed confidence, though he pitched well last time out, yielding one earned run on seven hits across six innings in a no-decision against the Astros. These two lineups have struggled at the plate of late, especially the Angels, so I have to go with the under.