The Detroit Tigers will be taking on their divisional rival Kansas City Royals at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. The game gets underway 2:15 p.m. ET and Fox Sports Kansas City will broadcast the action.
Detroit Tigers vs. Kansas City Royals Odds
Detroit (+140) is hosting this one as the underdog against Kansas City (-150) and oddsmakers have the Over/Under for this afternoon’s game at 9 runs. The odds for betting on the game’s total sit at -110 for both the over and the under. Bettors can also wager on the game’s spread with the most recent runline odds standing at Tigers +1.5 runs (-155) and Royals +-1.5 runs (+135).
The Tigers are 14-18 SU and have gone 16-15 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 3.1 units for gamblers taking the moneyline in the season’s early going and 1.9 units ATS. The Royals, on the other hand, are 10-23 SU and 14-18 ATS. The team has lost 9.9 units for moneyline bettors and 7.0 units ATS.
Kansas City games have an over/under record of 12-18-2 thus far in 2018. Tigers games have gone under 18 times, gone over 13 times and pushed on zero occasions.
Left-hander Matthew Boyd is getting the nod for the visiting Tigers. 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 turn to righty Jakob Junis (3-2, 3.29 ERA) to the mound. Junis has 30 punchouts and eight walks to his name, as well as a WHIP of 0.94. Junis is 2-0 with 10 strikeouts and a 1.20 ERA across two starts against Detroit this year.
As a unit, Kansas City’s pitchers have given up 5.5 runs per game overall this season. Its starters have an ERA of 4.68, a WHIP of 1.34 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 7.3. The bullpen has a 5.93 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 6.3 K/9. In 19 divisional games, Royals starters have an ERA of 4.33 and the bullpen’s ERA is 5.34.
The Kansas City hitters are putting up 3.7 runs per contest, including 3.5 per game against divisional foes and 5.4 per game over their last five. The team has slashed .272/.335/.439 over its last five contests and is 3-2 SU during that span.
Outfielder Jorge Soler and third baseman Mike Moustakas have paced the Royals’ batters this year. Soler is slashing .297/.415/.505 with four home runs, 12 RBIs and 12 runs scored, while Moustakas has put up a line of .290/.329/.542 with eight homers, 20 RBIs and 20 runs.
Soler especially enjoyed batting at home last season. In 53 plate appearances, he slashed .213/.302/.404 (his overall season line was .144/.245/.258).
In the visiting dugout, 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/9 of 8.29.
The Tigers offense has slashed .256/.318/.408 on its 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 team’s last five contests (3-2 SU).
Detroit’s hitters have been led by first baseman Miguel Cabrera and outfielder Nicholas Castellanos. Cabrera is slashing .323/.407/.516 with three home runs, 21 RBIs and 13 runs scored, while Castellanos is hitting .313/.366/.496 with three homers, 21 RBIs and 17 runs scored.
Compared to his total season slash line of .249/.329/.397, Cabrera did not seem to enjoy batting against righties on the road last season, maintaining a slash line of .180/.274/.262 across 208 such plate appearances.
The Tigers have lost 1.6 units and are 14-12 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has cashed in nine of those games, compared to 17 that’ve gone under in such games. 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’s hit in six of those games, as opposed to eight that’ve cashed the under.
Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Royals, ATS Winner – Tigers, O/U – OVER
Notes
Betting Trends
The over has cashed in just two of Detroit’s last seven games.
Detroit has posted 20.6 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 24.0 over its last five.
The Tigers have hit five home runs in their last 10 games. The Royals have hit 10 over their last 10.
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