Kansas City Royals vs New York Yankees Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 04/18/26

The New York Yankees picked up a 4-2 win over the Royals yesterday, thanks to a clutch two-run pinch-hit home run from Ryan McMahon in the bottom of the eighth. While the Yankees bullpen once again let things get interesting late, they were able to hold on and secure the victory. This afternoon, the Yankees will turn to Will Warren who enters with a 1-0 record and a 2.45 ERA through four starts this season. Warren typically doesn’t go deep into games, which likely means the Yankees bullpen will be called  upon early once again.

For the Royals, the left-hander Noah Cameron gets the nod, entering with a 1-0 record and a 3.94 ERA. The lefty struggled in his last start against the White Sox, giving up five earned runs on six hits in 5.1 innings pitched. Luckily for Cameron, this could be a favorable bounce-back spot, as the Yankees have struggled heavily against left-handed pitching this season, batting just .160. With that, Kansas City will need Cameron to eat up innings, especially given their bullpens 6.08 ERA. While the Yankees bullpen has been heavily utilized over the past couple of games, it’s still difficult to trust a Royals team that is averaging just 3.4 runs per game. I expect the Yankees to struggle early against Cameron, but eventually score a run or two against the Royals bullpen. Warren should also be in a solid position against a light-hitting Kansas City lineup. Taking everything into consideration, I’m expecting runs to be hard to come by, which is why I’m backing the under as my best bet of the day. 

Royals vs Yankees prediction: Under 8 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.