Jason Vargas (2-1, 5.95 ERA) and Anibal Sanchez (1-3, 5.46 ERA) are on the hill in the last of a four-game series between the Kansas City Royals (16-8) and the Detroit Tigers (16-9) at Kauffman Stadium. The Tigers won the last game 2-1 and Kansas City leads the series 2-1. Action begins at 2:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, May. 3 and can be seen on FSN-DET, FSN-KC and MLB Net.
Vargas is 3-4 with a 5.37 ERA in his appearances against the Tigers, and goes up against a quality Detroit offense which is batting .277 this season. Lorenzo Cain (.333, 18 Rs, 3 HRs, 13 RBIs, 6 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI. Sanchez is 5-2 with a 1.07 ERA when pitching against the Royals. He is up against a good Kansas City offense which is hitting .300 this season.
Detroit is a narrow -109 favorite over Kansas City. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at eight runs for this matchup. The Royals have recorded an overall money line of +917 and have shown high-level performance as an underdog this season with a record of 8-2. Kansas City has had an impressive season against division opponents, earning 3-2 and 11-6 records as the underdog and SU respectively. The Royals have no trouble scoring as they lead the AL in offense with 5.3 runs per game. The Royals lead the AL in hits with an impressive 10.8 per game. Kansas City is one of the best in the MLB in terms of steals, swiping 21 bases. Turning to the pitching and defensive side, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score runs against the Royals. The 3.3 runs that Kansas City’s pitchers allow per game makes them the top staff in the AL. The Royals are the second-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.11 so far this season.
In the other locker room, Detroit is coming in with an overall money line of +477 and an impressive record of 10-6 as the favorite. They have been playing solid baseball as favorite with a 9-3 record against AL Central rivals, and a 12-5 record SU. Offensively, the Tigers have really picked up the pace in division games. They have exceeded their season average of 4.5 runs per game by averaging 5.5 in those contests. The Tigers are an excellent base stealing team with 24 stolen bases, ranking fourth in the MLB. The Tigers allow 4.2 runs per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 6.1 runs per game during that span. When it comes to issuing walks, the Tigers have the second-fewest in the AL with an average of just 2.6 walks allowed per game.
The Royals lead the season series, 2-1. The Royals have an 8-5 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Sanchez takes the mound. Vargas (LHP) will be on the hill against the Tigers, who have a 5-2 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – KC, O/U – Over
Notes
In their last game, the Tigers won by a margin of one run. The Royals are 2-2 in one-run games. The Tigers have a 5-3 record in close games.
In extra innings, the Royals are 1-0.
The Tigers are coming into this game after allowing zero walks during their last outing. The Royals have a 0-3 record when opponents give up that many walks.
When they outhit their opponents, the Royals are 15-3. The Tigers have a 14-1 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking ninth, Detroit sits in the top 10 of the league in runs, scoring 111 this season. Kansas City ranks in the top five at second with 124.
Ranking 26th, Kansas City is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 54 this season. Detroit ranks in the top five at fourth with 88.
The Royals are 10-4 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Tigers are 11-3 when they hit at least one homer.
