Daniel Norris (1-0, 4.00 ERA) and the Detroit Tigers (63-54) meet Ian Kennedy (6-9, 3.91 ERA) and the Kansas City Royals (57-60) in the first of a three-game division series at Comerica Park. The game starts at 7:10 p.m. ET on Monday, Aug. 15 and will air on FSKC, FSDT and ESPN.
In his most recent outing, Norris pitched 5.0 innings, allowing one run, striking out three and walking two in a 6-5 loss to the Mariners. J.D. Martinez (.303, 44 Rs, 15 HRs, 44 RBIs, 1 SB) continued his strong season yesterday, going 3 for 5 with two runs, one home run, and two RBIs. The Royals were victorious over the White Sox 3-2 the last time Kennedy pitched. He went 6.1 innings, allowing one run, striking out two and walking two. Kendrys Morales (.246, 41 Rs, 19 HRs, 55 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday.
Detroit is a -133 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is nine runs. The Tigers have a winning record of 31-13 when playing as the favorite and an overall money line of +1,352. They have a SU record of 20-24 against teams in their division and a 13-6 record when they were the favorite in those games. The Tigers will be looking to pick it up in this one after recent offensive struggles. In the last 10 games, Detroit has only averaged 2.9 runs per game compared to the 4.7 it’s averaged on the season. Detroit’s pitchers struggle within their division. The Tigers have given up an average of 5.2 runs to intra-division opponents, well over their defense’s season average of 4.5. The Tigers are fifth in the AL in walks allowed at home with just 2.6 per game.
Moving on to the away team, the Royals come into this game with a weak win percentage of .368 when playing as the underdog (28-48) and an overall money line of -90. Against teams in their division, they are 26-17 SU, but have an 11-15 record when they were an underdog to win. When it comes to scoring runs, the Royals have performed much better than normal against teams from the AL Central. During those games, they averaged four runs per game, above their 3.8 season average.
The Royals have gotten the better of the Tigers in head-to-head matchups this season, going 6-4. The Tigers will take on a right-hander (Kennedy) in this game and have a 45-37 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Royals will be the left-hander Norris. They sport a 12-15 record against southpaws.
Predictions: SU Winner – DET, O/U – Under
Notes
After last game’s shutout win against Texas, the Tigers now have seven shutouts this season. The Royals have been shut out in nine games this season.
The Tigers are coming into this game after allowing no walks during their last outing. The Royals have a 6-3 record when opponents don’t give up any walks.
When they are outhit, the Royals are 6-41. The Tigers have a 10-38 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 27th in home runs, Kansas City has hit 98 this season. Detroit ranks fifth with 154 home runs.
Ranking sixth, Kansas City is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 8.94 per game. Detroit ranks in the top five at second with 9.24.
Ranking 25th, Kansas City is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.709). Detroit ranks in the top 10 at seventh with an OPS of .768.
The Royals are 36-49 when they allow at least one home run. The Tigers perform similarly when they allow one or more homers with a 32-38 record.
