The Kansas City Royals will play their divisional rival Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Fox Sports Kansas City will be showing the matchup and the game will get underway at 7:10 p.m. ET.
Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers Odds
Detroit (-115) is the favorite over Kansas City (+105) and Vegas has put the Over/Under for this game at nine runs. The odds for wagering on the game’s total sit at -120 for the under and +100 for the over. Gamblers can also bet on the game’s spread with the most recent runline odds standing at Royals +1.5 runs (-200) and Tigers -1.5 runs (+170).
The Royals are 52-101 SU and have gone 76-76 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 27.8 units for moneyline gamblers and 9.0 units ATS. The Tigers, on the other hand, are 62-91 SU and 79-73 ATS. The team’s lost 7.2 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 5.4 units ATS.
Detroit games have a 65-79-8 over/under record in 2018. Kansas City has also been a decent under bet with a total record of 66-75-11.
Ian Kennedy will get the nod for Kansas City. The right-handed Kennedy is 2-8 with a 4.72 ERA and 97 strikeouts. He’s 0-0 with seven strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA against Detroit this year.
The Tigers are going with lefty Francisco Liriano (5-10, 4.54 ERA), who’s got 101 strikeouts and 69 walks to his name, as well as a 1.50 WHIP. Liriano is 1-0 with 20 strikeouts and a 2.28 ERA over four starts against Kansas City this year.
Kansas City’s pitchers have allowed 5.2 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 5.03 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 7.31 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 5.05, along with a K/9 of 7.26.
The Royals offense has slashed .245/.308/.391 on its way to 3.9 runs scored per game in 2018, including 4.5 runs per game against divisional foes and 4.4 per game over the team’s last five outings (0-5 SU).
Second baseman Whit Merrifield and outfielder Alex Gordon continue to lead Kansas City’s hitters. The speedy Merrifield is hitting .303/.367/.436 with 12 home runs, 57 RBIs, 84 runs and 37 stolen bases, while Gordon (.242/.325/.362) has produced 11 homers, 49 RBIs and 53 runs scored.
For the home team, Detroit’s pitching staff has given up 4.8 runs per game overall this year. The team’s starters have a 4.58 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.45 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 7.9 K/9. In 70 divisional games, Tigers starters have an ERA of 4.68 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.59.
The Detroit offense is putting up 3.9 runs per contest, including 3.9 per game against divisional foes and 4.6 per game over its last five. The team has a slash-line of .246/.300/.395 over its last five games and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.
Right fielder Nicholas Castellanos and third baseman Jeimer Candelario have led the Tigers’ batters this year. Castellanos is slashing .299/.356/.500 with 22 home runs, 83 RBIs and 82 runs scored, and Candelario’s line is .228/.316/.407 with 19 homers, 53 RBIs and 74 runs.
The Royals have lost 5.4 units and are 24-21 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has cashed in 16 of those games, as opposed to 26 that’ve hit the under against lefty starters. On the other hand, the Tigers have lost 11.8 units and are 56-57 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 44 of those games, as opposed to 62 which went under the total.
Kansas City Royals vs. Detroit Tigers Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Tigers, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – UNDER
