The Detroit Tigers will be facing off against their divisional rival Kansas City Royals in a Thursday showdown. Fox Sports Kansas City will be airing the action. The game gets underway at 1:15 p.m. ET.
Detroit Tigers vs. Kansas City Royals Odds
Kansas City (+110) is stepping into this contest as an underdog against Detroit (-120) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under for this one at 9.5 runs (-110 for the under and -110 for the over). You can also bet on the game’s spread with the runline odds standing at +125 for the Tigers -1.5 runs and -145 for the Royals +1.5.
The Tigers have gone 40-97 SU this year and are 56-80 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 36.0 units for moneyline bettors and 30.8 units ATS. Detroit is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the over has hit in four of those seven. The Royals, on the other hand, are 51-89 SU and 65-74 ATS. The team has lost 22.8 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 21.9 units ATS. Kansas City has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the total has gone over in six of those seven.
Kansas City games have a 67-64-8 over/under record in 2019. Detroit has an over/under record of 63-64-9.
The southpaw Matthew Boyd will get the start for Detroit. Boyd is 7-10 with a 4.58 ERA and 219 strikeouts. He’s 1-2 with 27 strikeouts and a 6.53 ERA against Kansas City this year (four starts).
The Royals are planning to start righty Glenn Sparkman (3-10, 5.86 ERA), who has 66 punchouts and 34 walks, along with a 1.49 WHIP. Sparkman hasn’t faced the Tigers yet this year and did not record a start against them in 2018.
As a unit, Kansas City’s pitching staff has yielded 5.3 runs per game overall in 2019. Its starting pitching staff has a 5.20 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 7.3 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 5.05 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 8.5 K/9. In 65 games against divisional opponents, Royals starters have an ERA of 4.49 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.85.
The Kansas City offense is putting up 4.3 runs per contest, including 4.7 per game against divisional foes and 5.2 per game over its last five. The team has hit .280/.352/.463 over its last five matchups and is 4-1 SU during that span.
Second baseman Whit Merrifield and left fielder Alex Gordon have led the Royals’ hitters this year. Merrifield is slashing .302/.350/.472 with 16 home runs, 69 RBIs, 92 runs and 18 stolen bases, and Gordon’s line is .264/.340/.401 with 12 homers, 67 RBIs and 70 runs scored.
For the visitors, Detroit’s pitchers have allowed 5.6 runs per game and its starters own a 5.37 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 8.59 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 4.99, along with a WHIP of 1.42.
Tigers hitters have slashed .239/.296/.389 on their way to 3.6 runs scored per game in 2019, including 4.1 runs per game against divisional foes and 5.0 per game over the team’s last five outings (1-4 SU).
Detroit’s hitters have been paced by Miguel Cabrera and Nicholas Castellanos. Cabrera is hitting .285/.347/.398 with 10 home runs, 53 RBIs and 36 runs scored, while Castellanos (.273/.328/.462) has produced 11 homers, 37 RBIs and 57 runs scored.
The Tigers have lost 32.3 units and are 39-67 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in 45 of those games, compared to 54 that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Royals have lost 4.2 units and are 17-20 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 17 of those games, compared to 16 that’ve gone under.
Tigers vs. Royals Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Royals, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The over has hit in six of Kansas City’s last seven games.
- The Tigers have an OPS of .684 this season and an OPS of .674 against right-handed pitchers. The Royals’ OPS stands at .709 overall and .717 against righties.
- The Tigers have dropped 10 of their last 11 games SU.
- Kansas City has recorded 24.4 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 23.6 over its last five.
- The Tigers have hit seven home runs in their last 10 games, including four over their last five.
