Detroit Tigers vs Kansas City Royals Preview
The forecast for Friday’s Royals vs. Tigers matchup calls for moderate rain and temperatures in the mid-80s. Cole Ragans will start for the Royals, and he is facing off against Tarik Skubal. The Tigers are at -118 on the money line compared to the Royals at -101. The over/under line is currently at 7 runs.
First pitch from Comerica Park is set for 6:40 PM ET, and APLTV will be carrying this game on TV. The Royals are 61-49 and the Tigers 52-58. Detroit comes into the game on a four-game losing streak, while the Royals have won four straight.
Check out BetCoco for Detroit Tigers – Kansas City Royals odds
Detroit Tigers vs. Kansas City Royals Trends and Key Stats
- Over the course of their previous five away games, the Royals have recorded a 4-1 record, with a 4-1 performance on the runline.
- Conversely, the Tigers have achieved a 2-3 (SU) record and 5-0 record in their last five home games.
- In the past ten games, when playing as the favorite, the Royals have a record of 7-3, while as the underdog, they have a record of 5-5.
- 5-5 is the record of the Tigers as the favorite, while their record as the underdog stands at 2-8.
Thanks to a three-home run performance from Vinnie Pasquantino, the Royals cruised to a 7-1 win over the Tigers in the most recent game of this series. Heading into the game, the Royals were favored at -163 on the money line.
Pasquantino hit homers in the first, 2nd, and 8th innings for the Royals. He finished the game with four RBIs and two runs scored. Bobby Witt Jr. also had a two-hit game for Kansas City, scoring twice and driving in two runs.
KC got to Tigers starter Keider Montero, who gave up four earned runs in just seven innings of work and took the loss. As for the Royals, they got a good outing from Seth Lugo, who gave up just one earned run across eight innings of work and got the win.
Detroit Tigers vs Kansas City Royals Prediction
The Royals are on a four-game winning streak, and they are 61-49 overall this season. In the AL Central, they are six games behind the Guardians for the division lead. So far, they have gone 23-10 in divisional games. Kansas City took the first game of this series vs. the Tigers and has an overall series record of 16-17-1 this year.
At home, the Royals have gone 36-22 this season, and they are 25-27 on the road. As the underdog, the Royals are 26-30 this year, and they are 35-19 when favored. Kansas City has won four straight games as the road underdog. So far, they have dropped two straight games as the underdog.
The Royals have a run line record of 29-23 on the road this season, with a scoring margin of 0.5 runs per game. They are 63-47 overall on the run line, with an average scoring margin of 0.8 runs per game. Their run line record as the favorite is 29-25, while they are 34-22 as the underdog.
Today, the Kansas City Royals are on the road against the Detroit Tigers with an over/under line of 7 runs. Both teams have a combined run average of 8.6 runs per game this season, and the over/under record for the Royals is 46-61. The average over/under line for Kansas City games is 8 runs, and when the line is set at 7 runs, the Royals have a record of 4-2-1. So far this season, 93.6% of Kansas City’s games have had over/under lines set above 7 runs.
Cole Ragans gets the start for the Royals today as he faces the Tigers on the road. He has made 22 starts this season and has a record of 7-7 with a 3.37 ERA. Ragans’ WHIP for the season is currently 1.17. In his 22 appearances, he has turned in 15 quality starts and is averaging 10.73 strikeouts per nine innings. Ragans’ last outing came on July 28th, where he took the loss, giving up four earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts.
Offensively, the Royals have been one of the best home teams in the league this season, averaging 5.2 runs per game. Overall, they are 9th in the league at 4.7 runs per contest. Kansas City is the league’s top team in terms of avoiding strikeouts, but they are just 23rd in walks. The team’s collective batting average is .252, which is the 7th best mark in the league.
Bobby Witt Jr. has been on a tear of late, hitting .484 over his last eight games, with two homers and eight RBIs. For the season, he is batting .350 with 20 homers and 78 RBIs. Salvador Perez is also having a strong season, batting .278 with 19 homers and 73 RBIs.
Detroit is 52-58 overall and trails the Guardians by 15 games in the AL Central. The Tigers have dropped four straight games, and they are 3-7 in their last 10. This season, they are 19-20 against other teams in the AL Central.
At home, the Tigers are 25-29 this season, and they are just above .500 at 27-29 on the road. As the underdog, Detroit is 30-38 this season compared to a mark of 22-20 as the favorite. The Tigers have dropped four straight games at home, and their overall series record is 13-16-5.
When betting the run line on the Tigers, it’s been more profitable to take them on the road this season. Detroit is 33-23 against the run line on the road, compared to just 21-33 at home. The Tigers are also 42-26 against the run line as an underdog, compared to just 12-30 as the favorite.
The Detroit Tigers are home today against the Kansas City Royals, and the over/under line is set at 7 runs. The Tigers have played to the over in 59 of their 107 games this season, and their average over/under line is 8 runs. When the line is set at 7 runs, they have a 5-5 over/under record. The over has hit in 88.2% of their games this season, and they are currently on a 2-game under streak.
Tarik Skubal has been pitching well for the Tigers, coming into the game with a record of 12-3 and an ERA of 2.35. Skubal has made 21 starts this year and has turned in 16 quality starts. In his 21 appearances, he has a WHIP of .92 and is averaging 10.66 strikeouts per nine innings. Skubal most recently faced the Twins, where he picked up the win, going seven innings and giving up two earned runs. He has won each of his last three starts. The left-hander has been especially tough at home, going 7-0 with a 1.96 ERA compared to 5-3 with a 3.04 ERA on the road.
Heading into the game, Riley Greene and Matt Vierling have been the Tigers’ top power threats, with Greene leading the team with 17 homers and Vierling sitting in the 2nd spot with 13 long balls. Greene also comes into the game with a team-best 51 RBIs and has a batting average of .264. Vierling is batting .250 for the season and has an OBP of .291.
As a team, the Tigers are batting just .230, which is 20th in the league, and are averaging 4.2 runs per game. Detroit’s offense has been even worse of late, as Javier Baez has three homers in his last five games but is hitting just .176 in that stretch. As a team, the Tigers are just 20th in home runs and have a collective OPS of .677.
Our pick for today’s Royals vs. Tigers matchup is to take the Royals on the money line, with the payout being -101. We have the Royals winning this one by a final score of 5-4.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we do have Tarik Skubal with a better chance of picking up a win compared to Cole Ragans. However, Skubal is projected to finish with six strikeouts, while Ragans is at five.
Offensively, the Royals lineup is projected to finish with nine team strikeouts, while the Tigers are at nine. The Tigers are also projected to finish with fewer hits than the Royals.
Detroit Tigers vs Kansas City Royals Betting Tips
- Take the Royals on the moneyline
- The Royals should also cover at +1.5
- Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over
Detroit Tigers Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Casey Mize | Out | Hamstring |
| Parker Meadows | Out | Hamstring |
| Riley Greene | Out | Hamstring |
| Kerry Carpenter | Out | Back |
| Reese Olson | Out | Shoulder |
| Sawyer Gipson-Long | Out | Elbow |
Kansas City Royals Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Hunter Harvey | Probable | Back |
| Dan Altavilla | Out | Oblique |
| Josh Taylor | Out | Biceps |
| Kyle Wright | Out | Shoulder |
| John Schreiber | Out | Knee |
