Sports Betting Picks

Kansas City Royals vs. St. Louis Cardinals Betting Preview

Bragging rights in the state of Missouri will be on the line as the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals kick off a three-game series on Monday night. The Cardinals are considerable favorites with a moneyline of -159 compared to Kansas City’s moneyline of +144.

The Cardinals find themselves in a tight playoff race heading into the final week of the season, during which they will play eight games, which will only bring them to 58 games on the season. As it stands, St. Louis is one game ahead of both the Reds and Brewers for second place in the NL Central and a guaranteed playoff spot.

Fortunately, the Cardinals would be in good shape for a Wild Card spot if they fall below one of those teams. Nevertheless, St. Louis needs wins.

Meanwhile, the Royals are just playing out the season. As expected, a rebuilding Kansas City team has struggled, currently sitting 11 games under .500 and 13 games back in a stacked AL Central. The Royals were also swept by the Brewers over the weekend, out-scored by 11 runs in those three games.

Second Chance

Carlos Hernandez will get the start for the Royals on Monday. The 23-year-old will be making just his second start in the majors and fourth appearance overall.

In a start against the Pirates last weekend, Hernandez lasted three innings, allowing three runs on three hits, all of which were solo home runs. That figures to be a problem if that trend continues. Kansas City would also like to see the youngster pitch more than three innings this time around.

Fortunately for Hernandez, the St. Louis lineup isn’t overly imposing. Paul Goldschmidt and Brad Miller have carried the Cardinals this season, but the rest of the lineup has underperformed, especially the club’s promising crop of outfielders.

Tyler O’Neill leads the Cardinals with seven home runs but is only batting .183. Things have improved slightly in September, although the Cardinals aren’t getting consistent production from too many players.

Ole Reliable

The Cardinals will have to rely on starting pitcher Adam Wainwright to deliver a win on Monday. The 39-year-old has excelled in this shortened season. In eight starts, he’s 5-1 with a 2.87 ERA.

That includes a pair of seven-inning complete games. Oddly enough, Wainwright has only allowed one run or less in his first two starts of the season. However, he’s also pitched at least six innings in all but one start this year.

Meanwhile, the Kansas City lineup has also been a disappointment this season. Veteran catcher Salvador Perez has come on strong, but even Whit Merrifield has failed to live up to his past performances. Maikel Franco and Adalberto Mondesi are starting to come around. However, the Royals are still far from what would be considered an intimidating lineup.

Red Birds Sing

Given the difference in moneylines and the struggles the St. Louis lineup has scoring runs this year, this looks like an ideal opportunity to take the Royals as underdogs. However, the Kansas City lineup isn’t any better at scoring runs, especially against a guy like Wainwright.

Bet on the Cardinals to beat their in-state rivals on Monday.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *