The Detroit Tigers are traveling south to face their AL Central rival Kansas City Royals at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. The first pitch is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET and Fox Sports Kansas City will broadcast the matchup.
Detroit Tigers vs. Kansas City Royals Odds
Kansas City (-115) is hosting this one as the favorite against Detroit (+105) and oddsmakers have the Over/Under for this night game at 9 runs (-105 for the over and -115 for the under). Runline odds sit at -200 for taking the Tigers +1.5 runs and +170 for the Royals -1.5.
The Tigers are 53-78 SU and have gone 67-64 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 8.2 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 6.8 units ATS. The Royals, on the other hand, are 40-91 SU and 62-69 ATS. They’ve lost 32.7 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 16.9 units ATS.
Royals games have an over/under record of 56-66-9 in 2018. Detroit has also been a great under bet with a total record of 54-71-6.
Matthew Boyd will get the nod for Detroit. The southpaw Boyd is 8-11 with a 4.09 ERA and 127 strikeouts. He’s 1-2 with 13 strikeouts and a 3.32 ERA against Kansas City this year (three starts).
The Royals are going with righty Jakob Junis (6-12, 4.70 ERA), who has 132 strikeouts and 40 walks, as well as a 1.33 WHIP. Junis is 3-0 with 18 strikeouts and a 1.64 ERA over three starts against Detroit this year.
Kansas City’s pitching staff has allowed 5.4 runs per game overall this season as a unit. The team’s starters have a 5.29 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 5.21 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 7.3 K/9. In 53 divisional games, Royals starters have an ERA of 5.28 and the bullpen’s ERA is 5.28.
Kansas City’s hitters have put up 3.7 runs per contest, including 4.2 per game against divisional foes and 4.6 per game over their last five. The team’s hit .262/.305/.494 over its last five games and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.
Second baseman Whit Merrifield and catcher Salvador Perez have led the way for the Royals’ hitters this year. Merrifield is slashing .307/.374/.441 with 10 home runs, 47 RBIs, 63 runs and 28 steals, while Perez’s line is .233/.272/.437 with 23 homers, 65 RBIs and 43 runs scored.
In the visiting dugout, Detroit’s pitchers have allowed 4.7 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 4.48 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 7.26 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 4.51, along with a K-per-9 of 8.01.
The Tigers offense has slashed .241/.302/.378 on its way to 3.8 runs scored per game this season, including 3.8 runs per game against divisional foes and 3.0 per game over the team’s last five outings (1-4 SU).
Outfielder Nicholas Castellanos and shortstop Jose Iglesias continue to lead Detroit’s hitters. Castellanos is hitting .294/.349/.495 with 19 home runs, 73 RBIs and 70 runs scored, while Iglesias (.270/.312/.392) has produced five homers, 48 RBIs, 42 runs and 15 steals.
The Tigers have lost 13.3 units and are 47-51 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in 37 of those games, compared to 56 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Royals have lost 5.4 units and are 22-19 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in 14 of those games, compared to 25 that’ve gone under.
Detroit Tigers vs. Kansas City Royals Pick
,Predictions: SU Winner – Royals, ATS Winner – Tigers, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The over has cashed in four of Detroit’s last seven games.
- The Tigers have dropped four of their last five games SU.
- Kansas City has posted 19.2 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 21.8 over its last five.
- The Tigers have hit 10 home runs in their last 10 games. The Royals have hit 14 over their last 10.
