Nicholas Castellanos and the slumping Detroit Tigers are heading south to play their divisional rival Kansas City Royals at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. The game gets underway 8:15 p.m. ET and Fox Sports Kansas City will be televising the matchup.
Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals Odds
The Tigers are just 28-57 SU and are 35-50 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 18.3 units for moneyline gamblers and 20.1 units ATS. Detroit has covered the spread just twice over its last seven games and the over has hit in five of those seven. The Royals, on the other hand, are 30-61 SU and 42-49 ATS. The team has lost 20.3 units for moneyline bettors and 19.2 units ATS. Kansas City has covered the spread only once in its last seven games and the total has gone over in four of those seven.
Neither squad has been a strong over/under bet this season. Kansas City games have an over/under record of 43-41-7 so far in 2019. Tigers games have gone under 41 times, gone over 39 times and pushed on five occasions.
The right-handed Spencer Turnbull is the probable starter for the visiting Tigers. Turnbull is 3-8 with a 3.31 ERA and 84 strikeouts. He’s 0-0 with 22 strikeouts and a 1.42 ERA against Kansas City this year (three starts).
The Royals will put the ball in the left hand of Danny Duffy (3-5, 4.28 ERA, 1.35 WHIP), who has 61 strikeouts and 29 walks. Duffy is 0-0 with seven strikeouts and a 2.57 ERA in one start against Detroit this year.
Detroit’s pitchers have allowed 5.5 runs per game and its starters own a 4.94 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 8.36 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 5.02, along with a WHIP of 1.38.
Tigers hitters have slashed .233/.296/.382 on their way to 3.6 runs scored per game this year, including 4.0 runs per game against divisional foes and 6.4 per game over the team’s last five outings (1-4 SU).
Nicholas Castellanos and Miguel Cabrera have paced Detroit’s hitters. Castellanos is hitting .282/.342/.468 with nine home runs, 33 RBIs and 48 runs scored, while Cabrera (.304/.368/.399) is up to five homers, 36 RBIs and 22 runs scored.
In the home-team dugout, Kansas City’s pitchers have allowed 5.2 runs per game overall in 2019. Its starting pitching staff has an ERA of 5.21, a WHIP of 1.44 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 7.2. The bullpen has a 4.87 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 8.6 K/9. In 39 divisional games, Royals starters have an ERA of 3.78 and the bullpen’s ERA is 5.23.
The Kansas City hitters are putting up 4.2 runs per contest, including 4.3 per game against divisional foes and 2.6 per game over their last five. The team has hit .220/.274/.299 over its last five contests and is 1-4 SU during that stretch.
The Royals’ batters have been led by second baseman Whit Merrifield and left fielder Alex Gordon. Merrifield is slashing .306/.355/.495 with 11 home runs, 44 RBIs, 62 runs and 13 stolen bases, while Gordon’s line is .275/.352/.447 with 10 homers, 55 RBIs and 47 runs.
The Tigers have lost 1.0 units and are 8-8 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has hit in 10 of those games, as opposed to five that’ve gone under against lefties. On the other hand, the Royals have lost 15.2 units and are 30-36 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in 32 of those games, as opposed to 30 which went under the total.
Tigers vs. Royals Free MLB Tip
Predictions: SU Winner – Royals, ATS Winner – Tigers, O/U – UNDER
Betting Notes
- The over has hit in four of Kansas City’s last seven games.
- The Tigers have lost six of their last seven games SU while the Royals have lost six of their last seven.
- Detroit has posted 23.5 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 games and 28.8 over its last five.
- The Tigers have hit 11 home runs in their last 10 games, including eight over their last five.
- The Tigers have a total OPS of .677 this season and an OPS of .690 against left-handed pitchers. The Royals’ OPS sits at .709 overall and .678 against lefties.
