This Kansas City Royals vs Milwaukee Brewers prediction takes us to Milwaukee, as the Brewers are set for their home opener on Monday afternoon. It seems like an odd scheduling decision to play this one in the afternoon, especially since both teams were in a different town on Sunday and afternoon games are typically reserved for getaway days. But in the case of the Brewers, the sooner they can get back on the field against anyone but the Yankees, the better. Milwaukee was the victim of a 3-game sweep as controversy swirled around the Yankees’ scientifically-engineered oversized-barrel bats. The Brewers are not a great pitching staff, but giving up 32 runs in the past 2 days seems a bit much. They will look for calmer waters (and thinner barrells) on Monday. Still, I don’t think the problem for the Brew Crew was just the oversized bat barrels, and thus I like the over in this game as my favorite play.

Both teams are essentially bullpenning the game. The Brewers don’t even have 5 healthy starters in the clubhouse, so they are going to stream guys for a little while. That’s not great news when your bullpen has already been blasted and overworked in the opening series. The Royals will go with Kris Bubic, who is moving from the ‘pen to the rotation this season. In relief last season, Bubic was effective — sporting a 2.67 ERA and a high K rate. Then again, he was a lefty often coming into favorable platoon situations. How will he do against the entire lineup, and can he churn out 5 or 6 innings? I am skeptical. Both teams have been adequate on offense, even if unspectacular, and both are already very much in need of a win. I expect the offenses to shine as we work through the back end of the rotations for the first time. My Royals vs Brewers pick is the game total over 8.5.