The Kansas City Royals (16-10) travel to face off against the Detroit Tigers (14-11) on Friday, April 26th. This game will be played at Comerica Park in Detroit and televised on MLBN. The Royals are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Tigers are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Rays. First pitch is set for 1:10 ET.
Royals vs Tigers
Heading into their last game vs. the Blue Jays, the Royals closed out the series with a 2-1 win. Leading up to the game, they were the slight favorite at -106 on the money line. It was a big game for the Royals, as they needed a win to close out the series and pick up some momentum. The Blue Jays scored a run to take the lead in the 4th, but the Royals tied things up right away with a run of their own. Kansas City’s offense scored the go-ahead run in the 1st inning and added another run in the 3rd.
Cole Ragans put together a good start for the Royals, going five innings and giving up just one earned run, and picking up the win. Kansas City’s offense was carried by Salvador Perez, who went 1/2 with a homer and two RBIs.
Kansas City is 16-10 overall this year, and they have won three straight games. These three wins have them 2.5 games behind the Guardians for the AL Central lead. The Royals have gone 7-3 in divisional games this year.
At home, the Royals have been strong, going 12-5 this year. On the road, they are just 4-5 so far. As the favorite, the Royals are 6-3 this year, and they are 10-7 as the underdog. Kansas City closed out their series vs. the Blue Jays with a win and took three of four in the series.
When the Royals are favored, they have a losing run line record at 5-4, while they have a winning run line record at 11-6 when they are the underdog. Their average run margin is 1.5 runs per game, and they have a run line record of 16-10. Their run line record on the road is 5-4, and they have a run line losing streak when favored at 2 games.
The Kansas City Royals have had an over/under record of 8-17 this season, and the average over/under line in their games has been set at 8 runs. Their games have averaged 7.7 runs per game, and when the line has been set at 8 runs, they have gone 2-1. Overall, 73.1% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs, and their current under streak is at 5 games.
Seth Lugo Gets The Start For The Royals
Seth Lugo will be making his first road start of the season for the Royals, as they take on the Tigers. Lugo has been solid in his first two starts, picking up a win in each outing. He has 4 strikeouts in each of his first two starts and has only given up 1 earned run in each of his first two starts.
Royals Offense Breakdown
Salvador Perez has been on a tear of late for the Royals, going 9/20 in his last six games with two homers and eight RBIs. For the season, he is batting .352 with seven home runs, which is 4th in the league and the top mark on the team. Perez’s 25 RBIs is also the best mark on the team and 2nd in the league. Perez is also on a four-game hitting streak.
As a team, the Royals are averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 12th in the league. They have been better at home, averaging 5.2 runs per game. Overall, they are 4th in home runs and have the league’s 2nd best strikeout rate. Kansas City’s team batting average is just 14th in the league at .237.
Heading into their last game vs. the Rays, the Tigers closed out the series with a 7-5 loss. Detroit was the slight favorite at -113 on the money line. Things started off well for the Tigers, as they got on the board with a run in the 1st inning but gave up the lead right away as the Rays scored three times in the bottom of the first.
Jack Flaherty had a rough outing, giving up four earned runs on seven hits and issuing three walks. He only lasted five innings, taking the loss, and the Tigers needed to use three other relievers to close things out. Matt Vierling had a good day at the plate, going 2/4 with a run scored and two RBIs.
Detroit is 14-11 overall and trails the Guardians by four games in the AL Central. So far, they have gone 7-3 in divisional matchups. The Tigers dropped the final game of their series vs. the Rays but had won three straight before that.
At home, the Tigers are 4-7 this year compared to a road mark of 10-4. Detroit has won three straight games as the underdog, and they are 8-6 overall as the underdog. As for their record as the favorite, the Tigers are 6-5. So far, they have won two straight series and have an overall series record of 4-2-2.
When betting the run line on the Detroit Tigers, it’s best to take them as the underdog, as they are 10-4 against the run line in those games. They are just 1-10 against the run line as the favorite. Their average run margin in winning games is +2.6, but it drops to -2.7 in losses. The Tigers are 11-14 against the run line overall, but they are just 2-9 against the run line at home.
Today’s over/under line of 8 runs for the Detroit Tigers’ game against the Kansas City Royals is right in line with their season average. The Tigers have played 24 games this season, and 11 of them have gone over the total. Their games have averaged 7.8 runs per game, and when the line has been set at 8 runs, the over has gone 2-4-1.
Reese Olson Gets The Start For The Tigers
Reese Olson is getting the start for the Tigers at home against the Royals. He has started 3 games so far this season, and has taken the loss in each of them. In his most recent outing, he went 5 innings and gave up 4 runs on 5 hits and struck out 4.
Tigers Offense Breakdown
Mark Canha and Riley Greene have been swinging the bat well of late for the Tigers, as Canha has gone 9/27 in his last eight games with two homers, and Greene is 8/29 in his last nine games with two homers. Canha is currently on a four-game hitting streak, while Greene has also hit safely in his last four games. Overall, Canha’s five homers is the best mark on the team, and Greene is right behind him with five homers of his own.
Kerry Carpenter is batting .289 for the season and has gone 11/36 in his last nine games, including one homer and nine RBIs. Carpenter has also scored three runs in this stretch. Carpenter’s 13 RBIs is 2nd on the team, while Mark Canha and Riley Greene are 1st and 3rd in RBIs, respectively.
Royals vs Tigers Prediction
We see the Royals coming away with a 5-4 road win over the Tigers. With the Royals being the underdogs on the money line at -104, we think this is a great payout for a team that we have winning the game.
Looking at some potential player props, Seth Lugo is projected to finish with four strikeouts. As for Reese Olson, he is projected to finish with six strikeouts, which would have him finishing with the 11th most among all starters today.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:April 26, 2024 Royals, Tigers