The Kansas City Royals will take the field against their divisional foe Detroit Tigers in a Sunday showdown. The opening pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. ET and Fox Sports Kansas City will televise the action.
Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers Odds
Detroit (receiving -120 odds) is favored over Kansas City and oddsmakers have the Over/Under for this game at 8.5 runs. The odds for betting on the game’s total now sit at -115 for the over and -105 for the under. Bettors can also wager on the game’s runline with the most recent odds standing at -190 for the Royals +1.5 runs and +165 for the Tigers -1.5.
The Royals are 12-22 SU and have gone 17-16 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 7.7 units for gamblers taking the moneyline over the early portions of the season and 2.5 units ATS. The Tigers, on the other hand, are 14-16 SU and 15-14 ATS. The team has gained 3.6 units for moneyline bettors while gaining 1.8 units ATS.
Detroit games have a 12-17 over/under record so far in 2019. Kansas City has been a decent over bet with a total record of 19-13-1.
Right-hander Brad Keller is getting the nod for the visiting Royals. Keller (2-3, 4.07 ERA) has racked up 30 punchouts in 42 innings so far. He’s 0-1 with three strikeouts and a 4.50 ERA against Detroit this year.
The Tigers will put the ball in the right hand of Spencer Turnbull (2-2, 2.53 ERA), who has 31 strikeouts and 13 walks as well as a 1.22 WHIP. Turnbull is 0-0 with 10 strikeouts and a 3.00 ERA in one start against Kansas City this year.
As a unit, Detroit’s pitching staff has allowed 4.7 runs per game overall in 2019. Its starting pitching staff has a 3.72 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 8.7 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 5.47 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 8.9 K/9. In 15 games against divisional opponents, Tigers starters have an ERA of 4.74 and the bullpen’s ERA is 5.82.
The Detroit offense is putting up 3.5 runs per outing, including 4.2 per game against divisional foes and 2.8 per game over its last five. The team’s hit .222/.290/.329 over its last five games and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.
The Tigers’ batters have been led by Miguel Cabrera and Nicholas Castellanos. Cabrera is hitting .293/.362/.362 with 34 hits, 12 RBIs and 10 runs scored, while the line for Castellanos stands at .273/.336/.436 with 30 hits, eight RBIs and 18 runs scored.
For the visitors, Kansas City’s pitchers have allowed 5.0 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 4.95 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 7.45 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 5.14, along with a WHIP of 1.36 and a K-per-9 of 8.44.
Royals hitters have slashed .246/.324/.433 on their way to 4.8 runs scored per game this year, including 5.1 runs per game against divisional foes and 6.0 per game over the team’s last five outings (3-2 SU).
Kansas City’s offense has been fueled by second baseman Whit Merrifield and shortstop Adalberto Mondesi. Merrifield is slashing .295/.353/.532 with five home runs, 14 RBIs, 27 runs and six stolen bases. Mondesi (.284/.320/.522) is up to four homers, 30 RBIs, 21 runs and 10 stolen bases.
The Royals have lost 5.7 units and are 11-12 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in 14 of those games, compared to nine that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Tigers have netted 4.8 units and are 13-12 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in eight of those games, compared to 17 which went under the total.
Royals at Tigers Free MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Tigers, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The over has hit in four of Kansas City’s last seven games.
- The Royals have a total OPS of .757 this season and an OPS of .793 against right-handed pitchers. The Tigers’ OPS sits at .680 overall and .672 against righties.
- Detroit has recorded 22.1 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 17.6 over its last five.
- The Royals have hit eight home runs in their last 10 games, including five over their last five.
