Anibal Sanchez (10-9, 4.82 ERA) and the Detroit Tigers (54-58) are in Kansas City to meet Yordano Ventura (6-7, 5.29 ERA) and the Royals (67-44) in a game that could be high scoring. This is the second of a three-game series at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. The Royals won the last game 4-0 and Kansas City leads the series 1-0. The game starts at 8:10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 11 and will air on FSKC and FSDT.
In his most recent outing, Ventura pitched 5.0 innings, allowing six runs, striking out three and walking three in an 8-6 loss to the Tigers. Lorenzo Cain (.309, 71 Rs, 11 HRs, 50 RBIs, 20 SBs) continued his strong season yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run and two RBIs. The Tigers were unsuccessful to the Royals 8-6 the last time Sanchez pitched. He went 6.0 innings, giving up four runs, striking out six and walking four. Miguel Cabrera (.350, 43 Rs, 15 HRs, 54 RBIs, 1 SB) has been hitting the ball well for the Tigers, going 2 for 2 yesterday with one RBI.
Kansas City is a -154 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at eight runs. The Royals perform well as a favorite with a 37-21 record and have an overall money line of +2,109. They are 5-1 as the favorite over their last 10 games. The Royals are an exceptional hitting team with 9.2 hits per game, one of the highest marks in the AL. Don’t expect the Kansas City hitters to swing wildly. They average an AL-low 5.8 strikeouts per game.
Moving on to the away team, the Tigers come into this game with a win percentage of .407 when playing as the underdog (22-32) and an overall money line of -611. Against divisional foes, they are 29-19 SU, but have a 9-12 record when they were an underdog to win. When it comes to scoring runs, the Tigers have performed much better than normal against teams from the AL Central. During those games, they averaged four runs per game, above their 4.4 season average. Detroit is the top hitting team in the AL with an average of 9.5 hits per contest. Playing against AL Central foes really brings the best out of the Detroit pitchers. They allow 4.2 runs per game against teams within their division, which is lower than their season average of 4.8. They also allow just 2.7 walks per road game, fifth-best in the AL.
The Royals have gotten the best of the Tigers in head-to-head matchups this season, going 6-5. This game will feature Sanchez (RHP) on the mound against the Royals, who have a 45-27 record when they take on a right-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Tigers will be the right-hander Ventura. They sport a 39-46 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – KC, O/U – Over
Notes
After last game’s shutout win against the Detroit, the Royals now have six shutouts this season. The Tigers have been shut out in four games this season.
The Royals are coming into this game after allowing zero walks during their last outing. The Tigers have a 4-5 record when opponents give up that many walks.
It looks like the Royals have a slight leg up on the Tigers, as the Royals have won their last four games while the Tigers have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Tigers are 44-13. The Royals have a 54-7 record when outhitting opponents.
Both falling in the top 10 of the league based on total runs this season, Kansas City ranks 10th with 480 runs and Detroit is sixth with 492.
Ranking 30th, Kansas City is at the bottom of the league in walks, notching 236 this season. Detroit ranks in the top half at 15th with 313.
The Royals are 45-17 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Tigers are 41-28 when they hit at least one homer.
