In theory, the Los Angeles Dodgers built an all-time great rotation at the trade deadline, acquiring Tarik Skubal to go along with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, Justin Wrobleski, and Roki Sasaki. But that rotation hasn’t been actualized yet, as Snell, Glasnow, and Ohtani have all been injured and unable to pitch.
Snell is finally set to make his long-awaited return to the mound tonight when the Dodgers host the middle game of a three-game set against the Kansas City Royals.
First pitch is scheduled for 10:10 p.m. ET. Michael Wacha will oppose Snell for Kansas City.
Let’s break down this much-anticipated game with some odds and lines at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Kansas City Royals at Los Angeles Dodgers Best Bets
- NRFI (-115): Given his pedigree and his mostly strong performances in his rehab starts, Snell will probably be pretty good, and Wacha has allowed just eight first-inning runs across his 23 starts.
- Blake Snell 1 or Fewer Walks Allowed (-102): Snell occasionally struggles with his command, but he hasn’t walked a ton of batters in his MiLB rehab starts, and the Royals walk at among baseball’s lowest rates.
Kansas City Royals at Los Angeles Dodgers prediction, preview
The AL remains wide-open, as only three teams have less than a 5% chance of making the playoffs, but the Royals are one of them. Kansas City hasn’t even had a particularly hot stretch, winning more than three games in a row just twice, and it sits just 49-71, only 3.5 games ahead of the Los Angeles Angels for the worst record in baseball. The Royals just don’t have a ton on offense behind perennial MVP candidate Bobby Witt Jr., as among players with at least 300 plate appearances, only he and Jac Caglianone even have an OPS+ north of 105. As a result, they sit just 20th in OPS for the season as a whole. Additionally, Kansas City has had the seventh-worst rotation and the second-worst bullpen, as every other regular starter besides Wacha has an ERA north of 4.4 and Daniel Lynch IV has been the only bright spot in relief. The Royals also made a significant move at the trade deadline, sending last season’s ace Kris Bubic, who’s had a poor, injury-prone season, to Los Angeles, where he’s expected to pitch out of the bullpen.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers have gone ice-cold, but it hardly matters. They’re just 10-12 since the All-Star break, having lost eight of their last 10 games, but they opened up such a big lead in the division before the Midsummer Classic that, per FanGraphs, they still have a 99.2% chance of winning it. For the season, Los Angeles continues to have the league’s best offense, and it’s still been above-average even after the All-Star break despite its poor record. Shohei Ohtani leads the NL in OPS despite relatively quiet (by his standards) production since the All-Star break, and even free agency flop Kyle Tucker has started to find his form. Perhaps surprisingly, the Dodgers’ pitching has let them down, as they rank fifth-to-last in ERA since the All-Star break, thanks mostly to some atrocious bullpen work. Skubal has been mediocre in his first two Los Angeles starts, and Edwin Díaz blew save opportunities in back-to-back appearances. The Dodgers should still be fine, especially once Glasnow gets healthy and Bubic joins the bullpen towards the end of the month, but Kansas City has caught them at the right time.
It has the right pitcher on the mound to pull off an upset. Wacha has been solid, recording a 3.44 ERA across 23 starts and making his first All-Star team since 2015. While he’s had a few blow-ups, giving up six earned runs on three separate occasions, he’s also had his fair share of excellent performances, giving up two or fewer earned runs in 14 starts. Advanced stats suggest that he’s gotten a bit lucky; his 4.18 xERA is significantly worse than his actual mark, and he has just a 36th-percentile expected batting average. Additionally, Wacha ranks in the bottom third in both whiff and strikeout rate, and as is, Los Angeles neither whiffs nor strikes out much. Still, he has his strengths; he owns a 73rd-percentile walk rate, which is crucial against the team that’s earned the fourth-most free passes, and he’s been pretty good at preventing barrels, another of the Dodgers’ strengths. Los Angeles could definitely do some damage by taking advantage of his 31st-percentile ground ball rate, but it’s actually been worse at home despite playing in one of the league’s most homer-friendly venues. The Dodgers’ relative struggles in their own ballpark could help Wacha overcome the fact that he’s been nearly a full run worse on the road.
Snell will certainly look better than he did in his lone start of this season, when he gave up six hits and five runs (four earned) in three innings of work on May 9 before being shut down with an elbow injury. In 2025, he made 11 starts and pitched to a 2.35 ERA during the regular season before recording a 3.18 ERA in the playoffs, and he’s made seven rehab starts across two levels, recording a 3.20 mark. Snell was tremendous in 2025, ranking above the league median in every single Statcast category except walk rate, which likely won’t be an issue against the walk-averse Royals anyway. He also ranked in the top five percentiles in average exit velocity, chase rate, and whiff rate, and Kansas City is a relatively hard-hitting team with poor plate discipline. Like Los Angeles, the Royals rank among the top five in ground-ball rate, so Snell’s 85th-percentile rate in that stat could help if he’s able to replicate it. Additionally, Kansas City has posted an OPS nearly 100 points lower away from home, and Snell’s career ERA at Dodger Stadium is 1.99.
Kansas City Royals at Los Angeles Dodgers pick, best bet
Best Bet: NRFI (-115)
This depends more on whether or not Wacha can escape the first inning clean, as he’ll have to face Ohtani, Andy Pages, and Freddie Freeman, but he’s been sharp all season long and deserves the benefit of the doubt. There’s no reason to expect Snell to struggle, as the Dodgers wouldn’t be sending him out there if he wasn’t fully healthy.
Strong Lean: Blake Snell 1 or Fewer Walks Recorded (-102)
Snell struggled somewhat with his command in his final rehab start, as well as in his few outings last season, but he’s recorded one or fewer in six of his eight appearances across all levels this season. There’s also no guarantee that he’ll pitch more than four innings, given that he’s maxed out at 77 pitches this season.
More MLB Content
Read more MLB content at DraftKings Network:
- MLB Rain Delay Watch Today (August 11): Weather Forecast for All 15 MLB Games
- MLB Best Bets Today: Top NRFI props for Tuesday 8/11/26
- Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals prediction, pick for Tuesday 8/11/26
- Cincinnati Reds at Chicago White Sox prediction, pick for Tuesday 8/11/26
Tail these bets and more in the DK Network MLB Dugout Betting Group here!
