Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals Betting Preview
The bottom of the AL Central will square off in a four-game series starting on Monday as the Detroit Tigers (36-49, 4th in division) take on the Kansas City Royals (32-52, 5th in division). The two teams will actually play a doubleheader Monday at Kauffman Stadium, with the first pitch of the second game scheduled for 8:10 pm ET.
Coming into this series, the Tigers split a four-game series with the White Sox. After winning the first two games, Detroit was outscored in the final two 12-2. On Sunday, they lost the finale 4-2.
In Sunday’s finale, the Tigers only had five hits, and both runs were scored on a two-run home run by Javier Baez.
For the Royals, they were able to take two of three from the Cleveland Guardians over the weekend, including a 5-1 victory on Sunday. In the win, Zack Greinke went five scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and striking out five.
The Royals had ten hits on the day, including two apiece by Hunter Dozier and Kyle Isbel.
In the nightcap Monday, the Royals are the favorites playing at home. They are -136 to win while the Tigers’ moneyline sits at +116. The runline features Detroit +1.5 (-166), and the over/under for total runs is 9.5.
Tigers Look To Stay Hot
Despite losing their last two games, the Tigers come into this one, having won seven of their last 10. To stay hot, though, they are going to have to improve on their 13-25 road record.
Taking the mound for A.J. Hinch’s squad Monday night will be 26-year-old righty Alex Faedo. In 11 games, he is 1-4 with a 5.02 ERA and 1.54 WHIP, and he has 42 strikeouts in 52 innings of work.
In his last three starts, he has given up a combined ten runs in 12 innings of work. In that span, he has given up 15 hits and struck out nine.
Offensively, Javier Baez leads the team in home runs (nine), runs batted in (33), and is tied for second in runs scored (26). He is doing all of this despite hitting just .213/.249/.375.
All-star Miguel Cabrera has been hitting well, even though some of his power numbers are down. He is hitting .295/.333/.356 with three home runs, 31 runs batted in, and 18 runs.
Royals Have Consistency, But Looking For Success
The Royals have been just about the most consistent team; however, it is for all the wrong reasons. They are 16-26 both at home and on the road, and they are 5-5 over their last ten games. That adds up to a 32-52 record, good for last in the division.
In the second game Monday, the Royals will look to lefty Daniel Lynch to pick up a victory. In 13 games, he is 3-7 with a 4.95 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, and has struck out 65 in 63.2 innings.
Despite picking up a loss, he pitched well in his last outing against the Angels. He went 4.2 innings, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out five. His biggest issue was the five walks he allowed.
Bobby Witt Jr. has already become one of the faces of the franchise and has given Royals’ fans some excitement for the future. In 309 at bats, he is hitting .239/.287/.443 with a team-leading 12 home runs and 42 runs batted in. He also has 43 runs scored and 13 stolen bases (second on the team in both).
Take Royals To Win
This is a tough one to call. On the one hand, the Tigers have been playing better as of late, but five of their seven wins have been at home, where they have been much better.
On the other hand, Kansas City has struggled at home this season, but they were able to take two of three from the Guardians at Kauffman Stadium over the weekend.
With neither of these pitchers being particularly dominant, taking a flier on the over 9.5 (-104) is an interesting bet. When looking at the matchup, though, the Tigers have struggled mightily on offense this season, and the Royals may simply be able to outslug them.
Take Kansas City to win on the moneyline (-136) Monday night in the second game of the day.
