The St. Louis Cardinals are preparing to do battle against the Kansas City Royals in a Wednesday showdown. Fox Sports Kansas City will be showing this interleague matchup and the game gets underway at 8:15 p.m. ET.
St. Louis Cardinals at Kansas City Royals Odds
Kansas City (receiving +110 odds) is rolling into this contest as an underdog to St. Louis and oddsmakers have put the Over/Under for this night game at 10 runs. Odds for wagering on the game’s total currently stand at -110 for both the over and the under. You can also bet on the game’s spread with the most recent runline odds sitting at Cardinals -1.5 runs (+125) and Royals +1.5 runs (-145).
The Cardinals are 62-55 SU and have gone 59-57 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 5.2 units for moneyline gamblers and 0.5 units ATS. St. Louis has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in six of those seven. The Royals, on the other hand, are 43-77 SU and 56-63 ATS. They’ve lost 19.9 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 19.3 units ATS. Kansas City has a 3-4 ATS mark over its last seven outings and the total has gone under in four of those seven.
Kansas City games have had an over/under record of 58-53-8 in 2019. St. Louis has been a good under bet with a total record of 46-61-9.
The right-handed Dakota Hudson is getting the nod for the visiting Cardinals. Hudson (10-6, 4.01 ERA) has recorded 93 strikeouts in 121.1 innings so far. He has yet to face the Royals this year and did not record a start against them in 2018, either.
The Royals are handing the ball to righty Brad Keller (7-12, 4.09 ERA), who has 112 punchouts and 62 walks, along with a 1.36 WHIP. Keller is 1-0 with three strikeouts and a 2.57 ERA in one start against St. Louis this year.
Kansas City’s pitchers have allowed 5.2 runs per game overall in 2019 as a unit. Its starters have a 5.15 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.70 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 8.5 K/9.
The Kansas City offense is putting up 4.3 runs per contest, including 5.0 per game over its last 10 games and 5.4 per game over its last five. The team has a slash-line of .212/.283/.488 over its last five contests and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.
Second baseman Whit Merrifield and outfielder Jorge Soler have led the Royals’ hitters this year. Merrifield is hitting .306/.360/.489 with 14 home runs, 62 RBIs, 83 runs and 16 stolen bases, while Soler’s line is .260/.347/.555 with 35 homers, 87 RBIs and 69 runs.
In the other dugout, St. Louis’ pitchers have allowed 4.3 runs per game and its starters own a 4.21 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 8.06 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 3.80, along with a WHIP of 1.37.
The Cardinals offense has slashed .243/.317/.406 on its way to 4.4 runs scored per game this year, including 3.7 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 4.6 per game over the team’s last five contests (4-1 SU).
First baseman Paul Goldschmidt and shortstop Paul DeJong have paced St. Louis’ hitters. Goldschmidt is hitting .260/.337/.468 with 26 home runs, 63 RBIs and 71 runs scored. DeJong (.248/.326/.447) has produced 19 homers, 53 RBIs and 74 runs scored.
The Cardinals have lost 0.7 units and are 49-43 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has cashed in 35 of those games, as opposed to 51 that’ve hit the under in such games. On the other hand, the Royals have lost 15.5 units and are 41-45 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over has hit in 43 of those games, compared to 39 that’ve gone under.
Cardinals at Royals Free Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Royals, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The under has hit in six of St. Louis’ last seven games.
- The Cardinals have a total OPS of .723 this season and an OPS of .721 against right-handed pitchers. The Royals’ OPS sits at .715 overall and .721 versus righties.
- Kansas City has posted 19.6 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 19.8 over its last five.
- The Cardinals have hit eight home runs in their last 10 games, including five over their last five.
