At 7:40 PM ET, the Tigers and Royals will face off in an AL Central matchup. Wednesday's matchup is taking place at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO. The Tigers are 79-73, and they are starting Tarik Skubal. The Royals have lost three straight and they are 82-70 overall. Alec Marsh is on the mound for the Royals.
Detroit is currently 4th in the AL Central, while the Royals are 2nd behind the White Sox. The money line odds have the Tigers at -148 compared to the Royals at +126. The over/under line is at 7.5 runs, and this game can be seen on BSDET.
Detroit vs. Kansas City Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Tigers at Royals
- Where: Kauffman Stadium Kansas City
- Date: Wednesday, September 18th
- Betting Odds DET -148 | KC +126 O/U 7.5
Tigers vs Royals Last Game Recap
Detroit rallied for two runs in the 10th inning in the most recent game of this Tigers vs. Royals series. The Tigers scored one run in the 1st inning but didn't score another run until putting up two in the top of the 10th, picking up a 3-1 win. Heading into the game, the Tigers were at +138 on the money line.
Casey Mize started for the Tigers, going just 4 1/3 innings while giving up one run and striking out three. Tyler Holton got the win out of the bullpen, and Jason Foley got the save. Cole Ragans put together a good outing for the Royals, giving up one run in seven innings of work.
Parker Meadows was the difference for the Tigers, as he went 2/4 with a home run and scored all three of their runs. Meadows' home run came in the 1st inning. As for the Royals, they scored their only run in the 3rd.
Tigers Preview
On the road, the Tigers have been a solid bet against the run line, with a 48-29 record, and they are currently on a three-game run line win streak. Their average run margin on the road is +0.5, compared to 0.0 at home. As underdogs, they have a 60-33 run line record, but as favorites, they are 21-38.
Detroit has won four straight games on the road and the first two games of this series against the Royals. Overall, they are 79-73, 8 games behind the Guardians in the AL Central. The Tigers' games this season have averaged 8.2 runs, and their O/U record in games with a 7.5 run line is 21-18.
Tarik Skubal is getting the start for the Tigers today as he faces the Royals on the road. He has made 29 starts this season and has a record of 16-4 with an ERA of 2.50. Skubal's WHIP for the season is .94, and he has turned in 21 quality starts. Skubal most recently faced the Rockies, where he finished with a no-decision, going six innings and giving up one earned run. Before that outing, he had won three straight starts. The left-hander has been much better at home, coming in with a 2.15 ERA compared to 3.19 on the road.
Heading into today's game, the Tigers are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 19th in the league. This is also the 18th ranked home run hitting team in the league and have a team batting average of just .235. Detroit's team on-base percentage of .299 is 20th in the league, and they are also near the bottom of the league in walks and slugging percentage.
Riley Greene comes into the game as the Tigers' home run leader, with 23 homers this season, and his 70 RBIs are also the best on the team. However, he has gone just 5/23 in his last six games. Colt Keith is on a four-game hitting streak and is batting .264 for the season, with 13 homers and 58 RBIs.
Royals Preview
As the favorite, the Royals have a 47-28 record and are 45-32 at home this season. Overall, they are 82-70 and trail the Guardians by five games in the AL Central. The Royals have lost three straight games and the first two games of their current series vs. the Tigers.
Against the run line, the Royals have a 85-67 record and are 46-31 as underdogs. The under has hit in 14 of 18 games when the O/U line is set at 7.5 runs, while their games have averaged 8 runs per game this season.
Right-hander Alec Marsh is getting the start for the Royals today as he faces the Tigers at home. This year, he has made 23 starts and five of them have been quality starts. Marsh's record for the season is 8-8, and his ERA is 4.53. In his 24 appearances, he has a WHIP of 1.23 and is averaging 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings. The last time he pitched, Marsh picked up the win, going 5 1/3 innings and giving up just one earned run on 11 strikeouts. Before that outing, he had given up at least two earned runs in three straight starts.
For the season, the Royals are averaging 4.7 runs per game, which is 10th in the league. They are also one of the best hitting teams in the league, with a team batting average of .253. Kansas City's offense has been even better at home, averaging 5 runs per contest. As a team, they are 14th in the league in home runs.
Bobby Witt Jr. has been one of the league's top power hitters this season, as his 32 home runs are 10th in the MLB. He is also batting .331 for the season and has driven in 108 runs. Salvador Perez is 2nd on the team with 27 homers and has a batting average of .275. Over his last eight games, Perez is hitting .367, while Witt Jr. has gone 8/32 with two homers.
Tigers vs. Royals Prediction: Royals ML +126
Our pick for this Tigers vs. Royals matchup is to take the Royals on the money line at +126. We actually have the Royals winning this one by a score of 6-4. Looking at the starting pitchers, Alec Marsh has a better chance of picking up a win than Tarik Skubal.
Offensively, the Royals have one of the highest projected team strikeout totals today, but they also have one of the highest home run projections. As for the Tigers, they are actually projected to finish with the most strikeouts in the league today.
