Whit Merrifield and the Kansas City Royals are heading north to face off against their division rival Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET and Fox Sports Kansas City will broadcast the action.
Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers Odds
Detroit (-150) is favored over Kansas City (+140) and oddsmakers have put the Over/Under for this night game at 8.5 runs. The odds for wagering on the game’s total stand at -105 for the over and -115 for the under. There’s a runline of Royals +1.5 (-155) and Tigers -1.5 (+135) for this matchup.
The Royals have gone 11-21 SU this year and are 16-15 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 5.7 units for bettors taking the moneyline in the season’s early going and 2.4 units ATS. Kansas City has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the over has hit in five of those seven. The Tigers, on the other hand, are 13-15 SU and 15-13 ATS. The team has gained 2.6 units for bettors taking the moneyline while earning 0.8 units ATS. Detroit has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total has gone over in five of those seven.
Tigers games have a 12-16 over/under record thus far in 2019. The Royals have been a decent over bet with a total record of 19-11-1.
Jorge Lopez will get the start for the visiting Royals. The right-handed Lopez (0-2, 5.08 ERA) has racked up 31 strikeouts in 33.2 innings so far. He’s 0-0 with three strikeouts and a 1.50 ERA against Detroit this year.
The Tigers will turn to lefty Matthew Boyd (2-2, 3.13 ERA), who has 48 strikeouts and 10 walks as well as a 1.02 WHIP. Boyd has yet to face the Royals this year, but he made five starts against them in 2018, putting together a 1-3 record with a 4.78 ERA and 18 strikeouts.
Kansas City’s pitching staff allowed 5.1 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 5.01 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 7.49 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 5.25, along with a K-per-9 of 8.50.
The Royals offense has slashed .239/.316/.421 on its way to 4.5 runs scored per game in 2019, including 4.6 runs per game against divisional foes and 4.0 per game over the team’s last five outings (2-3 SU).
Second baseman Whit Merrifield and shortstop Adalberto Mondesi have led Kansas City’s hitters. Merrifield is hitting .298/.350/.519 with four home runs, 13 RBIs, 25 runs and six stolen bases, while Mondesi has a .286 average with four homers, 27 RBIs, 18 runs and 10 stolen bases.
In the home-team dugout, Detroit’s pitchers have given up 4.4 runs per game overall this year. Its starters have a 3.51 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 5.07 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 9.0 K/9. In 13 divisional games, Tigers starters have an ERA of 4.39 and the bullpen’s ERA is 5.09.
Detroit’s offense has put up 3.5 runs per contest, including 4.3 per game against divisional foes and 4.2 per game over its last five. The team has hit .246/.327/.429 over its last five games and is 1-4 SU during that span.
Miguel Cabrera and Nicholas Castellanos have paced the Tigers’ offense so far. Cabrera is slashing .278/.352/.352 with 30 hits, 11 RBIs and 10 runs scored, and Castellanos has produced a line of .269/.325/.442 with 28 hits, eight RBIs and 16 runs.
The Royals have lost 0.9 units and are 5-4 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has hit in five of those games, compared to three that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Tigers have netted 3.8 units and are 13-11 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in eight of those games, compared to 16 which went under the total.
Royals at Tigers MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Tigers, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The over has cashed in five of Detroit’s last seven games.
- Kansas City has recorded 19.9 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 16.4 over its last five.
- The Royals have hit nine home runs in their last 10 games. The Tigers have hit 14 over their last 10.
- The Royals have a team OPS of .737 this season and an OPS of .659 against left-handed pitchers. The Tigers’ OPS sits at .683 overall and .724 against southpaws.
