Edinson Volquez (2-2, 1.91 ERA) and the Kansas City Royals (16-7) go up against David Price (2-1, 3.48 ERA) and the Detroit Tigers (15-9) in the third of a four-game division series at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals won the last game 4-1 and Kansas City leads the series 2-0. The game starts at 7:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, May. 2 and will air on FSN-DET and FSN-KC.
Volquez has a 5.74 ERA and a 1-2 record in his career against the Tigers, and faces a strong Detroit offense that’s hitting .280 on the year. Lorenzo Cain (.337, 17 Rs, 2 HRs, 12 RBIs, 6 SBs) continued his strong season yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run. In his career against the Royals, Price is 1-0 with a 1.23 ERA. He gets a solid Kansas City offense that’s batting .306. Rajai Davis (.300, 11 Rs, 1 HR, 5 RBIs, 6 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one RBI.
Kansas City is a +108 underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is seven runs. The Royals have a winning record of 8-2 when playing as the underdog and an overall money line of +817. They have impressive records of 3-2 as the underdog and 10-6 SU within their division. The Royals lead the AL in hits with 10.9 per game. The Royals are a nightmare for opponents on the bases with 21 steals, one of the highest totals in baseball. Transitioning to the Kansas City defense and pitching staff, teams routinely struggle to score runs against the Royals, who allow an AL-low 3.4 runs per game. The Royals are third in the league in WHIP at 1.11.
Across the field, the Tigers have a nice record of 10-6 when they are favored and are +577 overall with the money line. Against divisional foes, they are 12-4 SU and have played well as the favorite with a 9-3 record. Detroit has stepped up their play against division opponents. They have averaged 5.8 runs per game, more than their season average of 4.7. The Tigers have racked up 24 steals on the year, making them one of the most threatening base-running teams in the league. Detroit’s pitching staff has allowed an average of 6.2 runs per game during the last 10 games, higher than their season average of 4.3. They also allow just 2.6 walks per game, third-best in the AL.
So far this season, the Royals are 2-0 against the Tigers. This game will feature Price (LHP) on the mound against the Royals, who have not lost a game (4-0) when they take on a left-handed starter at home. The right-handed Volquez will take the mound against the Tigers, who have a 10-6 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – KC, O/U – Over
Notes
For the second time this season, the Tigers registered at least two errors in a game.
The Royals are 1-0 when they go into extra innings.
Having scored one run in their last game, the Tigers are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Royals have a 5-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs or fewer.
When outhit, both the Royals and the Tigers have records of 0-3.
Kansas City ranks in the bottom half of the league at 16th when it comes to home runs, hitting 18 this season. Detroit ranks in the top 10 at 10th with 22.
Kansas City ranks at the top of the league when it comes to hits with 10.86 per game this season. Detroit ranks in the top five at third with 9.61.
Kansas City and Detroit both rank in the top five of the league for their on-base plus slugging percentage. Kansas City sits at second with an OPS of .809 and Detroit ranks fourth with an OPS of .780.
When the Tigers allow at least one home run, they are 4-6. When the Royals allow one or more homers, they have a 9-4 record.
