The Kansas City Royals will play host to the Detroit Tigers at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. The action will begin at 2:15 p.m. ET and Fox Sports Kansas City is in line to broadcast the game.
Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals Odds
Detroit (+140) is hosting this game as the underdog to Kansas City (-150) and Vegas has set the Over/Under for this day game at 9 runs (-110 for the over and -110 for the under). You can also bet on the games runline with the most recent odds sitting at -155 for the Tigers +1.5 runs and +135 for the Royals -1.5.
The Royals are 10-23 SU and 14-18 ATS. They’ve lost 9.9 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 7.0 units against the spread (ATS). Kansas City has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the under has hit in five of those seven. The Tigers have gone 14-18 SU this year and are 16-15 ATS. Overall, the teams lost 3.1 units for bettors taking the moneyline over the early part of the season and 1.9 units ATS. Detroit’s covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in five of those seven.
Kansas City games have an over/under record of 12-18-2 so far in 2018. Detroit has an over/under record of 13-18.
Matthew Boyd is getting the nod for the visiting Tigers. The left-handed Boyd is 1-2 with a 2.48 ERA and 21 strikeouts. He’s 0-1 with a 1.50 ERA against Kansas City this year (three starts).
The Royals will put the ball in the right hand of Jakob Junis (3-2, 3.29 ERA, 0.94 WHIP), who has 30 strikeouts and eight walks. Junis is 2-0 with 10 strikeouts and a 1.20 ERA over two starts against Detroit this year.
As a unit, Kansas City’s pitching staff has yielded 5.5 runs per game overall in 2018. The teams starting pitching staff has a 4.68 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 7.3 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 5.93 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 6.3 K/9. In 19 games against AL Central opponents, Royals starters have an ERA of 4.33 and the bullpens ERA is 5.34.
The Kansas City offense has produced 3.7 runs per outing, including 3.5 per game against divisional foes and 5.4 per game over its last five. The teams hit .272/.335/.439 over its last five games and is 3-2 SU during that span.
The Royals offense has been led by right fielder Jorge Soler and third baseman Mike Moustakas. Soler is hitting .297/.415/.505 with four home runs, 12 RBIs and 12 runs scored, while Moustakas is batting .290 with eight homers, 20 RBIs and 20 runs.
Soler seemed to enjoy hitting at home last season, slashing .213/.302/.404 over 53 plate appearances (his total season line was .144/.245/.258).
For the visiting squad, Detroit’s pitching staff allowed 4.6 runs per game and its starters own a 3.73 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 7.03 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 4.79, along with a K-per-9 of 8.29.
Tigers hitters have slashed .256/.318/.408 on their way to 4.4 runs scored per game this year, including 3.8 runs per game against divisional foes and 3.2 per game over the teams last five contests (3-2 SU).
Detroit’s hitters have been powered by first baseman Miguel Cabrera and right fielder Nicholas Castellanos. Cabrera is slashing .323/.407/.516 with three home runs, 21 RBIs and 13 runs scored, while Castellanos (.313/.366/.496) has produced three homers, 21 RBIs and 17 runs scored.
Cabrera did not perform especially well against right-handed pitchers on the road last season. Over 208 such plate appearances, he put up a slash line of .180/.274/.262 (compared to his overall season line of .249/.329/.397).
The Tigers have lost 1.6 units and are 14-12 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in nine of those games, compared to 17 that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Royals have netted 2.2 units and are 7-7 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in six of those games, compared to eight which went under the total.
Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Royals, ATS Winner – Tigers, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- The Tigers have hit five home runs in their last 10 games. The Royals have hit 10 over their last 10.
- Kansas City has recorded 23.9 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 25.0 over its last five.
