The Kansas City Royals will be facing off against their divisional rival Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Fox Sports Kansas City will showcase the action and the game gets underway at 1:10 p.m. ET.
Kansas City Royals vs. Detroit Tigers Odds
Vegas has listed Kansas City (+100) as the underdog to Detroit (-110). Bettors can wager on the game’s total with odds sitting at -105 for over 8.5 runs and -115 for under 8.5. Runline odds sit at -210 for betting the Royals +1.5 runs and +175 for the Tigers -1.5.
The Tigers are 8-10 SU and 8-8 ATS. They’ve lost 1.1 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 0.3 units against the spread (ATS). The Royals are 4-14 SU and have gone 7-9 ATS. Overall, the team’s lost 9.2 units for moneyline gamblers through the early portions of the season and 4.8 units ATS.
Tigers games have an over/under record of 7-9 so far in 2018. The Royals have an over/under record of 6-9-1.
Left-hander Danny Duffy is the probable starter for Kansas City. Duffy is 0-2 with a 3.86 ERA and 23 strikeouts. He has yet to face Detroit this year, but he made three starts against the Tigers in 2017, putting together a 2-1 record against them with a 5.17 ERA and 12 strikeouts.
The Tigers are sending righty Mike Fiers (1-1, 3.86 ERA) to the mound. Fiers has 10 strikeouts and two walks to his name, as well as a 1.11 WHIP. Fiers made two starts against the team in 2017, posting a 1-1 record in 2017, posting a 1-1 record with a 2.45 ERA and seven strikeouts.
Kansas City’s pitchers have allowed 5.3 runs per game and its starters own a 3.41 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 7.50 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 7.91, along with a WHIP of 1.17.
The Royals offense has slashed .237/.307/.352 on its way to 3.1 runs scored per game in 2018, including 2.3 runs per game against divisional foes and 3.4 per game over the team’s last five outings (1-4 SU).
Kansas City’s hitters have been led by third baseman Mike Moustakas and right fielder Jorge Soler. Moustakas is slashing .333/.359/.627 with five home runs, 14 RBIs and 11 runs scored, while Soler has a .277 average with one homers, two RBIs and four runs scored.
Soler had a little trouble hitting righty pitching on the road last season, putting up a slash line of .103/.235/.138 across 34 such plate appearances (compared to his total season line of .144/.245/.258).
In the home-team dugout, Detroit’s pitching staff has yielded 4.3 runs per game overall this season. The team’s starting pitching staff has an ERA of 3.75, a WHIP of 1.21 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 6.9. The bullpen has a 4.10 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 9.0 K/9. In 11 games against AL Central opponents, Tigers starters have an ERA of 3.18 and the bullpen’s ERA is 2.01.
Detroit’s hitters are putting up 4.3 runs per contest, including 2.9 per game against divisional foes and 5.6 per game over their last five. The team has a slash-line of .298/.341/.544 over its last five matchups and is 4-1 SU during that span.
The Tigers’ hitters have been led by third baseman Jeimer Candelario and first baseman Miguel Cabrera. Candelario is hitting .267/.337/.493 with 20 hits, eight RBIs and five runs scored, and Cabrera’s line is .286/.370/.460 with 18 hits, 10 RBIs and six runs.
Compared to his overall season slash line of .283/.359/.425, Candelario seemed to enjoy hitting at home in 2017, slashing .386/.478/.579 over 67 plate appearances.
The Royals have lost 6.2 units and are 4-5 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has hit in three of those games, as opposed to five that’ve hit the under in such games. On the other hand, the Tigers have lost 1.0 units and are 0-1 ATS when facing a lefty starter. The over’s hit in one of those games, compared to zero that went under.
Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Tigers, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – OVER
Notes
Betting Trends
The under has cashed in three of Kansas City’s last seven games.
Kansas City has recorded 20.4 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 22.2 over its last five.
The Royals have hit 10 home runs in their last 10 games, including eight over their last five.
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