In the second of a three-game series between the Kansas City Royals (80-51) and the Detroit Tigers (61-70) at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium, Yordano Ventura (9-7, 4.41 ERA) and Randy Wolf (0-2, 2.57 ERA) get the start. The Tigers won the last game 6-5 and Detroit leads the series 1-0. The game starts at 8:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Sep. 2 and will air on FSKC and FSDT.
In his last start, Ventura pitched 6.0 innings, allowing zero runs, striking out 11 and walking four in a 5-3 victory over the Orioles. Lorenzo Cain (.311, 81 Rs, 12 HRs, 58 RBIs, 26 SBs) went 1 for 5 yesterday with one run. The Tigers were unsuccessful the last time Wolf pitched. He pitched well, going 7.0 innings, allowing one run, striking out five and walking two in a 2-0 loss to the Angels. Miguel Cabrera (.359, 55 Rs, 17 HRs, 67 RBIs, 1 SB) has been doing well offensively for the Tigers, going 2 for 5 yesterday with one RBI.
Kansas City is a considerable -180 favorite at home and the Over/Under (O/U) for this matchup is set at eight runs. The Royals have a winning record of 47-24 when playing as the favorite and an overall money line of +2,669. They are 5-2 as the favorite over their last 10 games. The Royals come into the game with the fifth-ranked scoring offense in the AL, averaging 4.4 runs per game. The Royals are an exceptional hitting team with 9.2 hits per game, one of the highest marks in the AL. The Royals are a nightmare for opponents on the bases with 88 steals, one of the highest totals in baseball.
On the other side, the Tigers have a subpar record of 26-42 when they are the underdog and are -1,039 overall with the money line. Over the past 10 matchups, they are 1-9 SU and have a poor 0-7 record when they were an underdog to win. During the last 10 games, they averaged 2.8 runs per game, below their 4.4 season average. Detroit is the top road hitting team in the AL with an average of 9.3 hits per contest. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the Detroit pitchers. They allowed 6.2 runs per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 4.9.
The Royals will take on a left-hander (Wolf) in this game and have a 24-21 record against left-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Tigers will be the right-hander Ventura. They sport a 42-55 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – KC, O/U – Over
Notes
The Tigers won their last game by a one-run margin. In games decided by one run, the Royals are 22-13. The Tigers are 20-18 in close games this season.
Detroit has won 47% (28-31) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Kansas City has won 66% (31-16) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Tigers are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Royals have a 47-36 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Tigers are 51-17. The Royals have a 63-8 record when outhitting opponents.
Both falling in the top 10 of the league based on total runs this season, Kansas City ranks eighth with 574 runs and Detroit is ninth with 573.
Ranking 30th, Kansas City is at the bottom of the league in walks, notching 297 this season. Detroit ranks in the bottom half at 17th with 365.
When the Royals hit at least one home run, they are 55-22. When the Tigers hit at least one homer, they have a 45-33 record.
