The St. Louis Cardinals will head a few hours down I-70 to Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium to square off against the Kansas City Royals. Fox Sports Kansas City will televise this interleague matchup and the action gets going at 8:15 p.m. ET.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Kansas City Royals Odds
St. Louis (-150) is favored over Kansas City (+140) and Vegas has put the Over/Under for this game at 9.5 runs. The odds for wagering on the game’s total stand at -120 for the under and +100 for the over. Bettors can also wager on the game’s spread with the runline odds standing at Cardinals -1.5 runs (-105) and Royals +1.5 runs (-115).
The Cardinals are 58-55 SU and are 56-59 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 6.7 units for moneyline bettors and 6.0 units ATS. St. Louis is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the under has hit in four of those seven. The Royals, on the other hand, are 34-78 SU and 52-62 ATS. The team’s lost 28.8 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 19.3 units ATS. Kansas City has covered the spread only twice over its last seven games and the over has cashed in four of those seven.
Kansas City games have an over/under record of 48-59-7 in 2018. Cardinals games have gone under 57 times, gone over 53 times and pushed on five occasions.
Austin Gomber is the probable starter for the visiting Cardinals. Gomber is 1-0 with a 4.10 ERA and 23 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Royals this year and did not record a start against them in 2017, either.
The Royals will turn to righty Burch Smith (1-3, 6.41 ERA), who has 59 strikeouts and 29 walks as well as a WHIP of 1.53. Smith did not pitch in the majors in 2017.
St. Louis’ pitching staff allowed 4.3 runs per game and its starters own a 3.54 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 8.15 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.37, along with a WHIP of 1.25.
Cardinals hitters have slashed .249/.323/.402 on their way to 4.4 runs scored per game this season, including 4.2 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 4.0 per game over the team’s last five contests (3-2 SU).
St. Louis’ offense has been sparked by left fielder Marcell Ozuna and third baseman Matt Carpenter, who have combined to drive in 120 runs. Ozuna is slashing .269/.314/.391 with 13 home runs, 59 RBIs and 44 runs scored. Carpenter (.282/.394/.590) is up to 29 homers, 61 RBIs and 74 runs scored.
For the home team, Kansas City’s pitchers have yielded 5.5 runs per game overall this year. Its starting pitching staff has an ERA of 5.32, a WHIP of 1.48 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 7.5. The bullpen has a 5.37 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 7.1 K/9.
Kansas City’s offense is putting up 3.7 runs per outing, including 4.7 per game over its last 10 games and 3.2 per game over its last five. The team’s hit .250/.291/.343 over its last five games and is 0-5 SU during that stretch.
Second baseman Whit Merrifield and third baseman Mike Moustakas have led the Royals’ hitters this year. Merrifield is hitting .304/.372/.432 with seven home runs, 37 RBIs, 54 runs and 25 steals, and the line for Moustakas stands at .249/.309/.468 with 20 homers, 62 RBIs and 46 runs scored.
The Cardinals have lost 5.2 units and are 40-43 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this year. The over’s hit in 35 of those games, compared to 43 that’ve gone under against ies.
St. Louis Cardinals at Kansas City Royals Free Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – OVER
