This game could be low scoring as Chris Young (3-0, 0.94 ERA) and the Kansas City Royals (26-14) meet Lance Lynn (3-3, 2.96 ERA) and the St. Louis Cardinals (27-14) in the first of a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium. The game gets underway at 8:10 p.m. ET on Friday, May. 22 and will air on FSN-MW and FSN-KC.
Young has a 3.65 ERA and a 0-3 record in his career against the Cardinals, and is up against a solid St. Louis offense that’s hitting .266 on the year. Eric Hosmer (.321, 28 Rs, 7 HRs, 30 RBIs, 3 SBs) went 1 for 4 Wednesday with two runs, one RBI, and one stolen base. In his career against the Royals, Lynn is 0-0 with a 5.84 ERA. He meets a strong Kansas City offense that’s batting .288. Matt Holliday (.328, 17 Rs, 3 HRs, 23 RBIs, 2 SBs) has been doing well, going 3 for 4 yesterday with one run and one RBI.
Kansas City is a slight -112 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is seven runs. The Royals perform well as a favorite with a 14-9 record and have an overall money line of +1,142. They stand undefeated with a 2-0 record as the favorite and a 2-0 record SU against the National League. The Royals are a dangerous hitting team with 130 extra base hits, one of the highest totals in the MLB. In games against National League opponents, Kansas City’s pitchers are doing better against opposing batters. It only gives up an average of 0.5 runs per game, well under their season average of 3.5.
Switching gears, the Cardinals come into this game with a win percentage of .455 when playing as the underdog (5-6) and an overall money line of +1,228. They have played poorly as the underdog as of late. They managed a 1-3 record when playing as the underdog and an SU record of 5-5. The Cardinals have not played up to par on offense against the AL. St. Louis has averaged 3.2 runs per game, less than their 4.5 season average. St. Louis’s pitching staff tends to perform poorly when they play AL opponents. They’ve allowed an average of 3.5 runs per game against teams from the AL, higher than their season average of 3.0.
This game will feature Lynn (RHP) on the mound against the Royals, who have a 9-4 home and 16-9 overall record when they take on a right-handed starter. The right-handed Young will take the mound against the Cardinals. Against righty starters this season, they’ve racked up an impressive 22-8 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – KC, O/U – Over
Notes
The Royals are 3-0 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are 4-3 in such matchups.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Cardinals are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Royals have a 2-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
When they outhit their opponents, the Cardinals are 18-6. The Royals have a 23-4 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking ninth in runs, St. Louis has earned 181 this season. Kansas City ranks third with 202 runs.
Ranking 29th, Kansas City is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 83 this season. St. Louis ranks in the top half at 13th with 127.
The Royals are 16-6 when they hit at least one home run. The Cardinals perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 17-6 record.
