Royals vs. Tigers Pick
Will the Kansas City Royals be able to go on the road and get past the Detroit Tigers when the two open their series tonight at 7:10PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, the Tigers are favored at home today, as they are getting odds of -150 to win, while the Royals are listed with a money line of +140 to win. The over/under total for the game has been set at 9 runs. These two met last week in KC and split four games. The Tigers have won five of the last eight against the Royals.
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The pitching matchup tonight has Jason Hammel (4-8, 4.81 ERA) on the mound for the Royals to face Justin Verlander (5-7, 4.54) of the Tigers. Verlander has been good in his last three starts, but hasn’t gotten much run supports (5 runs combined). He has 111 strikeouts with 55 walks this season and a 1.47 WHIP. Hammel is coming off a 1-run, 6.1-inning start against the Tigers last week. He now has 83 strikeouts and 35 walks with a 1.43 WHIP.
The Royals come into this series hot, winning five straight following a weekend sweep of the White Sox at home. Kansas City is now 50-47 overall and 20-24 on the road. Kansas City is averaging 4.26 runs per game while allowing 4.47 per contest. KC is being led this season by Mike Moustakas, who has 28 home runs with 62 RBI. Salvador Perez is adding 19 home runs and 61 RBI.
The Tigers are coming off a series win at Minnesota this weekend. Detroit has won six of its last nine contests. The Tigers are 45-52 overall and 25-21 at home. They are putting up 4.89 runs per game this season while allowing 5.08 per contest. Detroit is being led by Justin Upton, who has 28 doubles with 16 home runs and 61 RBI. Miguel Cabrera is adding 12 home runs and 47 RBI.
Hammel was just able to work his way past this lineup last week and I think he can do it again tonight. Verlander has pitched well, but hasn’t been getting much support at the plate. He also doesn’t have a reliable bullpen behind him. I think Verlander will keep his team in the game, but see the bullpen let things fall apart again. I give the edge to Hammel and the Royals.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: KANSAS CITY ROYALS +140