The Detroit Tigers will head south to face off against their divisional rival Kansas City Royals at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. The game gets underway 2:15 p.m. ET and Fox Sports Kansas City will be televising the action.
Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals Odds
Detroit (+100) is the underdog against Kansas City (-110) and Vegas has set the Over/Under for this game at 9.5 runs (+100 for the over and -120 for the under). Bettors can also wager on the game’s runline with the current odds sitting at -210 for the Tigers +1.5 runs and +175 for the Royals -1.5.
The Tigers are 13-16 SU and have gone 15-13 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 2.3 units for moneyline bettors over the early part of the year, despite having gained 0.6 units ATS. Detroit has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in five of those seven. The Royals, on the other hand, are 8-22 SU and 11-18 ATS. The team has lost 10.9 units for moneyline bettors and 11.0 units ATS. Kansas City has covered the spread just twice over its last seven games and the total has gone under in three of those seven.
Kansas City games have an over/under record of 11-16-2 thus far in 2018. The Tigers have an over/under record of 12-16.
The right-handed Mike Fiers is projected to start for the visiting Tigers. Fiers is 2-2 with a 3.91 ERA and 15 strikeouts. He’s 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA against Kansas City this year (two starts).
The Royals are handing the ball to lefty Eric Skoglund (1-2, 6.23 ERA), who has 19 strikeouts and six walks to his name, as well as a 1.20 WHIP. Skoglund is 0-0 with three strikeouts and a 7.20 ERA in one start against Detroit this year.
As a unit, Kansas City’s pitching staff has given up 5.7 runs per game overall this year. The team’s starting pitching staff has an ERA of 4.74, a WHIP of 1.31 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 7.1. The bullpen has a 6.24 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 6.2 K/9. In 16 games against AL Central foes, Royals starters have an ERA of 4.36 and the bullpen’s ERA is 5.85.
The Kansas City offense has produced 3.5 runs per contest, including 3.1 per game against divisional foes and 5.4 per game over its last five. The team has hit .295/.380/.448 over its last five matchups and is 3-2 SU during that span.
Right fielder Jorge Soler and third baseman Mike Moustakas have paced the Royals’ offense this year. Soler is slashing .315/.436/.517 with 28 hits, nine RBIs and nine runs scored, while the line for Moustakas stands at .298/.331/.562 with eight homers, 19 RBIs and 18 runs.
Soler seemed to enjoy hitting at home last year, slashing .213/.302/.404 in 53 plate appearances (compared to his overall season line of .144/.245/.258).
For the visiting squad, Detroit’s pitching staff allowed 4.5 runs per game and its starters own a 3.76 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 7.12 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 4.45, along with a K-per-9 of 8.31.
The Tigers offense has slashed .249/.313/.403 on its way to 4.4 runs scored per game this year, including 3.8 runs per game against divisional foes and 3.8 per game over the team’s last five contests (3-2 SU).
Detroit’s hitters have been led by first baseman Miguel Cabrera and third baseman Jeimer Candelario. Cabrera is slashing .326/.413/.528 with three home runs, 21 RBIs and 13 runs scored, while Candelario (.287/.364/.513) has produced four homers, 12 RBIs and 18 runs scored.
Maintaining a slash line of .316/.451/.456 across 71 such plate appearances, Cabrera seemed to enjoy hitting lefties on the road last season (compared to his overall season slash line of .249/.329/.397).
The Tigers have lost 1.7 units and are 1-2 ATS when facing a lefty starter this season. The over has hit in three of those games, compared to zero that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Royals have lost 13.2 units and are 6-11 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in five of those games, as opposed to 10 which went under the total.
Detroit Tigers vs. Kansas City Royals MLB Tip
Predictions: SU Winner – Royals, ATS Winner – Tigers, O/U – UNDER
Notes
Betting Trends
Detroit has recorded 21.4 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 20.6 over its last five.
Each team has hit nine home runs over its last 10 games.
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