MLB Plays for Saturday, May 23: Runnin’ with the Royals
Written by: Danny Burke
Published: Sat May 23, 2026, 11:48 am ET
Read Time: 4 minutes
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What's going on, everybody? Hope your Memorial Day weekend is off to a good start!
I've got a pair of MLB plays for Saturday, May 23, so let's get right to it with my action below.
MLB Plays for Saturday, May 23
Seattle Mariners vs Kansas City Royals
Things have been looking grim for the Royals after they suffered their fourth consecutive loss on Friday night, falling 2-0 to the Mariners.
Can young right-hander Stephen Kolek be the one to spark a resurgence for this group? He's made only three starts so far this season and owns a 4.24 ERA. However, the good news is that both his expected ERA (3.99) and xFIP (3.72) sit at much lower marks.
His 21.4% HR/FB rate should also come back down to Earth, considering his barrel rate is below 8%, while he's generating ground balls at a strong 50% clip.
Kolek is coming off an excellent start in St. Louis that should provide him with plenty of confidence moving forward. In that outing against the Cardinals, he tossed 6.1 innings, allowing no runs on just four hits. Perhaps he can dial in once again on Saturday afternoon.
As for the visiting side's starter, that will be right-hander George Kirby.
Kirby has been steady this season, posting a 3.45 ERA and 3.57 xFIP. His ground-ball rate has been terrific as well, sitting at 55%. Most of his numbers look solid, but the concern lies with his most recent outing and whether he'll be able to bounce back. Kirby lasted 5.2 innings against the Padres, but surrendered six runs on six hits in the loss.
The difference in momentum between these two starters leads me to believe there's a bit of value on the home side, especially considering they're available at a plus-price.
Play: Royals Moneyline (+115)
Minnesota Twins vs Boston Red Sox
Let's move over to the East Coast, where the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox continue their three-game series with Game 2 on Saturday.
The visitors took care of business in Game 1, pulling out an 8-6 victory. That snapped a three-game win streak for Boston while marking Minnesota's fourth win in its past five games.
Can Taj Bradley keep the momentum rolling for the Twins? His 2.87 ERA certainly suggests he's capable, but there are still some underlying concerns. Bradley owns a 3.84 xERA, along with a 45.3% hard-hit rate and a barrel rate north of 10%.
As for concern, there's plenty of it surrounding Boston's pitching plan today. It appears the Red Sox will once again lean on left-hander Jovani Moran to open the game before turning things over to right-hander Brayan Bello.
Bello has been all over the place this season, posting a 7.16 ERA and 4.59 xFIP. Interestingly enough, two of his last three appearances have come in this exact setup, where another pitcher starts the game before Bello enters and works bulk innings. In those two outings, he allowed four hits and one earned run in each, while producing an xFIP below 3.00 both times.
However, in his most recent appearance as a traditional starter, Bello was shelled for seven earned runs on eight hits.
There seems to be a noticeable comfort level for Bello when he's not opening the game in the first inning, which is likely why Boston is going back to a formula that previously worked.
These offenses have produced fairly similar numbers against right-handed pitching over the past couple of weeks, and the market appears to be showing support toward the home favorite, which is the side I tend to agree with here.
Play: Red Sox Moneyline (-118)
MLB Plays:
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Danny Burke is a betting analyst with a decade of sports media experience. He got his start at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, sharing picks on the local ESPN affiliate. After college, he hosted shows for VSiN in Las Vegas before returning to Chicago to launch 'Rush Hour', the first daily sports betting show from an Illinois casino. He also co-hosted 'Props and Locks' on Fox32’s Bears pregame show and ran 'Bet On, Chicago' on WLS-AM 890.
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