Wednesday's interleague matchup between the Royals and Cardinals is set to get started at 1:45 PM ET from Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO. The Cardinals are the slight favorite on the money line, with their odds sitting at -132 compared to the Royals at +111. The over/under line is currently at 8.5 runs.
Both teams will be sending a young starter to the mound, as Alec Marsh is starting for the Royals, and Andre Pallante is starting for the Cardinals. Kansas City is 3rd in the AL Central, while the Cardinals are 2nd in the NL Central. BSMW will be televising Wednesday's game.
Kansas City vs. St. Louis Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Royals at Cardinals
- Where: Busch Stadium St. Louis
- Date: Wednesday, July 10th
- Betting Odds STL -132 | KC +111 O/U 8.5
Royals Preview
To close out their series vs. the Rockies, the Royals picked up an impressive 10-1 win. Leading up to the game, they were the heavy favorite at -172. It was a four-run 2nd inning that really turned things in their favor, and the Rockies could only score one run, which came in thejson 3rd.
Brady Singer put together a good start for the Royals, going seven innings and giving up just one earned run, and picking up the win. Kansas City's offense was carried by Bobby Witt Jr., who went 3/5 with a homer and three RBIs.
Currently, the Royals are 9 games behind the Guardians in the AL Central with a 49-43 record. They have lost two straight series and are 13-15-1 in series play this season. On the run line, they are 51-41 straight up and 29-20 at home.
As favorites, the Royals are 25-15 straight up and 31-21 on the run line as underdogs. Their games have averaged 8.5 runs per game, leading to a 38-51 over/under record. The O/U record for games with an 8.5 run line is 9-17.
Alec Marsh gets the start for the Royals today as he faces off against the Cardinals on the road. He has made 16 starts this year and has a record of 6-6 with an ERA of 4.57. Marsh's WHIP for the season is currently 1.26. In his 16 appearances, he has turned in four quality starts and is averaging 7.97 strikeouts per nine innings. Marsh most recently faced the Rays, where he took the loss, giving up five earned runs in three innings of work. Before that outing, he had won two straight starts.
So far this season, the Royals are averaging 4.5 runs per game, which is 13th in the league. At home, they have been even better, averaging 5.2 runs per game, which is the 2nd best mark in the MLB. As a team, they are batting .246 and are 8th in terms of batting average.
Over his last six games, Bobby Witt Jr. has been on fire, going 12/24 with three homers and seven RBIs. For the season, he is batting .324 and is 7th in the league with 61 RBIs. Witt Jr. is also on a seven-game hitting streak. Salvador Perez is also near the top of the league in RBIs, as his 55 is 3rd on the team and 13th in the MLB.
Cardinals Preview
A big game by Alec Burleson at the plate helped the Cardinals close out their series vs. the Nationals with a 6-0 win. Burleson went 2/5 with three RBIs and a homer. The Cardinals really broke things open with a three-run 3rd inning. St. Louis was the +100 underdog going into this road game.
Miles Mikolas started for the Cardinals, going 6 1/3 innings, and didn't give up a run. He also issued just three hits and issued only one walk. Mikolas only had three strikeouts in the outing and got the win.
St. Louis has a 48-42 overall record and is 2nd in the NL Central, four games behind the Brewers. They have won two straight series and two straight games heading into today's matchup against the Royals. The Cardinals' series record is 16-11-2.
On the run line, the Cardinals have been a strong underdog play with a 29-17 record, but have struggled as favorites, going 17-27. Their over/under record for games with an 8.5 run total is 17-11, and this season, 23.3% of their games have had totals of 8.5 runs or higher.
Right-hander Andre Pallante gets the start for the Cardinals today as he faces off against the Royals at home. Pallante has made 16 appearances this year and has a record of 4-3 with a 4.00 ERA. Looking at his overall numbers, opponents are batting .249 this year. Pallante has turned in two quality starts this year, and his ERA at home is 2.06 compared to 4.54 on the road. In his last outing, he went seven innings, giving up one earned run, and finished with a no-decision. Before that, he had won two straight starts.
Heading into today's game, the Cardinals are averaging 4.1 runs per game, which has them 23rd in the league. This is also where they rank in home runs, as they have just 86 homers this season. As a team, they are batting .244, which is 9th in the league, and have an on-base percentage of .310. One area they have struggled in is with their isolated power, as their .137 mark is 22nd in the MLB.
Nolan Gorman has been on a tear of late, going 11/23 in his last seven games with a home run and eight RBIs. This has helped him move into the team lead in home runs, with 17, which is 10th in the league. Alec Burleson is also near the top of the league in homers, as his 14 long balls are 13th in the MLB. Burleson's 45 RBIs are the most on the team, with Gorman also having 45 RBIs.
Royals vs. Cardinals Prediction: Cardinals ML -132
Our predicted final score for this one is 5-4 in favor of the Cardinals, which would give us a push on the over/under line, as the line is currently sitting at 8.5 runs. With the payout on a Cardinals win sitting at -132, that is the route we recommend going for this one.
Looking at some potential player props, Alec Marsh is projected to finish with seven strikeouts, which is the second-best among all starters today. For the Cardinals, Andre Pallante is projected to finish with five K's, which has him towards the bottom of the league in terms of starters.
