Runs may be hard to come by in this one as Edinson Volquez (4-3, 2.77 ERA) and the Kansas City Royals (28-14) go up against Michael Wacha (6-0, 2.13 ERA) and the St. Louis Cardinals (27-16) in the last of a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals won the last game 3-2, extending a five-game winning streak. The game starts at 2:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, May. 24 and will air on FSN-MW, FSN-KC and MLB Net.
Volquez is 5-6 with a 4.58 ERA against the Cardinals in his career, and faces a solid St. Louis offense that’s hitting .265 on the year. Eric Hosmer (.313, 29 Rs, 7 HRs, 30 RBIs, 3 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one run. In his career against the Royals, Wacha is 0-1 with a 2.77 ERA. He gets a strong Kansas City offense that’s batting .289. Matt Carpenter (.323, 29 Rs, 7 HRs, 25 RBIs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one RBI.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at seven runs. The Royals have a 3-0 record SU against the NL. The Royals rank fifth in the majors in extra base hits with 136. As for the Kansas City defense and pitching staff, teams routinely struggle to score runs against the Royals, who allow an AL-low 2.8 runs per home game. The Royals are fifth in the league in WHIP at 1.18.
Against interleague opponents, the Cardinals are 3-4 SU. During the last 10 games, they averaged 3.1 runs per game, below their 4.3 season average. St. Louis’s pitching staff tends to perform poorly when they play competition from the AL. They’ve allowed an average of 3.7 runs per game against teams from the AL, higher than their season average of 3.1.
The previous two games have all gone Kansas City’s way. The Royals will take on a right-hander (Wacha) in this game. They have done very well against right-handed starting pitchers this season (17-9), especially at home where they have a 10-4 record. Taking the hill against the Cardinals will be the right-hander Volquez. Right-handed starters haven’t been a big issue for them as they sport a 22-10 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – KC, O/U – Over
Notes
Kansas City has won 71% (12-5) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, St. Louis has won 73% (11-4) of its games when taking a late lead.
After a weak showing last week where they got in six hits, the Royals need to step it up. The Cardinals have a record of 9-3 when opponents get six hits or fewer.
It looks like the Royals have a slight leg up on the Cardinals, as the Royals have won their last five games while the Cardinals have lost their last three.
When they outhit their opponents, the Cardinals are 18-6. The Royals have a 25-4 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 12th in runs, St. Louis has earned 183 this season. Kansas City ranks second with 210 runs.
Ranking 29th, Kansas City is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 86 this season. St. Louis ranks in the top half at 13th with 135.
When the Royals hit at least one home run, they are 18-6. When the Cardinals hit at least one homer, they have a 17-6 record.
