The forecast from Detroit on Friday calls for moderate rain and temperatures in the mid-80s. The Royals and Tigers are set to face off at 6:40 PM ET from Comerica Park. Kansas City is 61-49 overall, while the Tigers are 52-58. Tarik Skubal will start for the Tigers, and the Royals are starting Cole Ragans.
Kansas City is currently on a four-game winning streak, and they are the slight money line favorite for Friday's game at -103. The Tigers are 4th in the AL Central, and they will look to end their four-game losing streak. Over/under line is at 7 runs, and APLTV is carrying this one on TV.
Kansas City vs. Detroit Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Royals at Tigers
- Where: Comerica Park Detroit
- Date: Friday, August 2nd
- Betting Odds DET -115 | KC -103 O/U 7
Royals vs Tigers Last Game Recap
Thanks to a three-home run performance from Vinnie Pasquantino and a good outing from Seth Lugo, 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, second, and eighth innings for the Royals. He finished the game with four RBIs and two runs scored. Bobby Witt Jr. and Freddy Fermin each had two hits and two RBIs.
Lugo went eight innings for the Royals, giving up just one run and striking out three. He picked up a win in the game, while Keider Montero had a rough outing for the Tigers, taking the loss.
Royals Preview
As the favorite, the Royals have a 35-19 record and are currently on a four-game winning streak. They are six games behind the Guardians in the AL Central with a 61-49 overall record. The over/under record for Royals games this season is 46-61, and the average run total for their games is 8.6 runs.
On the run line, the Royals are 29-23 on the road and 34-22 as underdogs. Their average run margin in winning games is +3.9, and they have covered the run line in two straight games. Today's O/U line of 7 runs is the lowest of the season, as 93.6% of their games have had higher totals.
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 starts, 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.
As a team, the Royals are averaging 4.7 runs per game, which is 9th in the league. They have been even better at home, putting up 5.2 runs per contest. Overall, they are batting .252, which is 7th in the league, and are the top home run hitting team in the league. Kansas City's offense has been led by Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez, who have 20 and 19 homers, respectively.
Witt Jr. is also one of the hottest hitters in the league right now, batting .487 over his last 10 games, with three homers and 12 RBIs. Hunter Renfroe and Vinnie Pasquantino have also been swinging the bat well of late, with Renfroe on a seven-game hitting streak and Pasquantino batting .405 with three homers in his last 10 games.
Tigers Preview
As the underdog, the Tigers have a 42-26 record but have lost four straight games in that role. Overall, they are 30-38 when playing as the underdog. Detroit's series record is 13-16-5, and their run line record stands at 54-56.
Detroit's average run differential is -0.2 runs per game, and their games have averaged 8.5 runs this season. The Tigers' over/under record is 59-48, and they are currently on a 2-game under streak. Today's O/U line is set at 7 runs, which is significantly lower than their usual lines.
Tarik Skubal has been pitching great for the Tigers, as he comes into the game with a record of 12-3 and an ERA of 2.35. Skubal has made 21 starts this year and has a WHIP of .92. In his last outing, he went seven innings and got the win, giving up two earned runs on five hits. Before that, he had won three straight starts. Skubal has been especially tough at home, coming in with a record of 7-0 and an ERA of 1.96. His ERA on the road is 3.04.
Heading into today's game, Riley Greene and Matt Vierling have been the Tigers' top power threats, with Greene leading the team with 17 homers and Vierling right behind him with 13. Greene is also hitting .264 for the season and has a team-best on-base percentage of .357. Vierling comes into the game with a batting average of .250. Javier Báez has struggled of late, going 3/17 in his last five games, but all three of his hits have been home runs.
Overall, the Tigers are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 21st in the league. They have been equally as bad at home and on the road, averaging 4.2 runs in both situations. As a team, they are batting just .230, which is 20th in the league.
Royals vs. Tigers Prediction: Tigers ML -115
Our predicted final score for this game is 5-4 in favor of the Tigers. Given that they are at home and you can get them on the money line at -115, that is the bet we would recommend making.
Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Tarik Skubal finishing with seven strikeouts, which is good for third among all starters today. As for Cole Ragans, we have him finishing with six K's, which is ninth among starters.
