Tigers vs. Royals Pick
Will the Kansas City Royals salvage a split with the Detroit Tigers when the two close out their four-game series tonight at 8:15PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, the Tigers are favored on the road, as they are getting odds of -115 to win. Kansas City is listed with odds of +105 to prevail, while the over/under total for the game has been set at 8.5 runs.
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The pitching matchup for the game has Michael Fulmer (10-6, 3.06 ERA) on the mound to face Danny Duffy (5-6, 3.51) of the Royals. Fulmer has been Detroit’s best pitcher this season, allowing just 42 earned runs in 123.2 innings of work. He has 87 strikeouts this season with 27 walks and a 1.07 WHIP. Duffy had been struggling somewhat, but is coming off a 1-run, 8.1-inning outing against the Rangers last weekend. He has 71 strikeouts with 27 walks this season and a 1.25 WHIP.
After the Tigers took the first two games of the series by a combined score of 19-5, the Royals bounced back on Wednesday with a 4-3 victory. Detroit is now 43-50 overall and 18-29 on the road. Kansas City is now 46-47 overall and 26-23 at home.
Both bullpens struggled on Wednesday, as each team allowed two runs in the ninth inning. Kelvin Herrera blew a save for the Royals in the top of the ninth and then Justin Wilson followed suit for the Tigers in the bottom of the inning. The blown saves spoiled good starts in both cases. Jason Hammel had one of his best outings of 2017, allowing just one run in 6.1 innings of work. Justin Verlander allowed just two runs over seven innings and had eight strikeouts with only one walk. At the plate, Brandon Moss had three hits and two RBI to lead the Royals while Mikie Mahtook had a two-run home run for the Tigers.
Tonight features a great pitching matchup. Both Fulmer and Duffy can go deep into this game and allow limited damage. Fulmer has won his last four starts, but he had a lot of run support in those wins. I don’t see him getting that run support tonight as Duffy should be up to the challenge against this Detroit lineup that’s now without J.D. Martinez. The KC bullpen struggled last night, but it is still more reliable than the Detroit bullpen. If this game comes down to the bullpens, I have to go with the Royals at home.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: KANSAS CITY ROYALS +105