The Kansas City Royals are set to take on the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. This interleague matchup will begin at 8:15 p.m. ET and fans hoping to watch it can tune in to Fox Sports Kansas City.
Kansas City Royals vs. St. Louis Cardinals Odds
Vegas has listed St. Louis (-190) as the favorite over Kansas City (+180). Bettors can gamble on the games total with odds listed at even money (+100) for over 8.5 runs and -120 for under 8.5. You can also wager on the games runline with the most recent odds coming in at Royals +1.5 runs (-125) and Cardinals +-1.5 runs (+105).
The Royals are only 14-33 SU and are 20-26 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 14.3 units for moneyline gamblers in this young season and 10.0 units ATS. Kansas City is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the over has hit in four of those seven. The Cardinals, on the other hand, are 26-19 SU and 21-23 ATS. The teams gained 1.4 units for moneyline bettors while gaining 2.8 units ATS. St. Louis has a 3-4 ATS mark over its last seven outings and the total has gone under in four of those seven.
Cardinals games have an 18-23-3 over/under record so far in 2018. Kansas City has been a decent under bet with a total record of 19-25-2.
Right-hander Jason Hammel is the projected starter for Kansas City. Hammel is 0-5 with a 6.28 ERA and 27 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Cardinals this year and only made one start against them in 2017 (0-0, 3.60 ERA and seven strikeouts across five innings).
The Cardinals will put the ball in the right hand of Luke Weaver (3-3, 4.37 ERA, 1.27 WHIP), who has 42 strikeouts and 17 walks. Weaver did not record a start against the Royals in 2017.
Kansas City’s pitching staff allowed 5.8 runs per game and its starters own a 5.64 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 7.14 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 5.45, along with a WHIP of 1.45 and a K-per-9 of 6.74.
Royals hitters have slashed .254/.321/.382 on their way to 3.9 runs scored per game in 2018, including 3.2 runs per game over the teams last 10 games and 2.4 per game over the teams last five contests (1-4 SU).
Kansas City’s hitters have been led by right fielder Jorge Soler and third baseman Mike Moustakas, who collectively have blasted 15 home runs. Soler is slashing .289/.392/.474 with five home runs, 20 RBIs and 20 runs scored, while Moustakas (.295/.337/.525) has produced 10 homers, 31 RBIs and 27 runs scored.
Soler seemed to take a step back when hitting righties on the road last year. Over 34 such plate appearances, he maintained a slash line of .103/.235/.138 (his overall season line was .144/.245/.258).
In the home-team dugout, St. Louis pitchers have given up 3.8 runs per game overall in 2018. The clubs starters have a 2.96 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 8.1 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.10 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 8.3 K/9.
The St. Louis hitters are putting up 4.5 runs per outing, including 5.2 per game over its last 10 games and 6.2 per game over their last five. The team has slashed .306/.359/.488 over its last five games and is 3-2 SU during that span.
Right fielder Tommy Pham and first baseman Jose Martinez have led the Cardinals batters so far. Pham is slashing .303/.409/.517 with eight home runs, 19 RBIs, 35 runs and eight stolen bases, while Martinez’s line sits at .311/.380/.476 with five homers, 30 RBIs and 18 runs scored.
Compared to his overall season slash line of .306/.411/.520, Pham didn’t do very well against righty pitching at home last season, slashing .257/.377/.355 over 183 such plate appearances.
The Royals have lost 17.1 units and are 9-19 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in 12 of those games, compared to 14 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Cardinals have lost 2.0 units and are 13-19 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over has hit in 13 of those games, compared to 16 that went under.
Kansas City Royals vs. St. Louis Cardinals Free Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- The Royals have lost eight of their last nine games SU.
- Kansas City fielders have two errors over the last 10 games, compared to seven errors for St. Louis over its last 10.
- The Royals have hit three home runs in their last 10 games. The Cardinals have hit 14 over their last 10.
