The Detroit Tigers (23-23) travel to face off against the Kansas City Royals (29-19) on Monday, May 20th. This game will be played at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City and televised on FS1. 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 Diamondbacks. First pitch is set for 7:40 ET.
Tigers vs Royals
The Tigers will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Diamondbacks with a 6-4 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 7th inning before the Diamondbacks scored two runs in the bottom of the 7th. Detroit was the +122 underdog on the money line going into the game.
Matt Manning got the start for the Tigers and took the loss. He only lasted five innings, giving up four earned runs on 10 hits. Spencer Torkelson had only one hit, but it was a home run, and the Tigers scored three runs in the 3rd inning.
Detroit is at an even 23-23 overall heading into today’s road matchup vs. the Royals. They are 6.5 games behind the Guardians for the AL Central lead. So far, they have gone 10-6 in divisional games. The Tigers closed out their series vs. the Diamondbacks with a win and took the series 2-1.
As for their overall series record, the Tigers are 7-6-2 this year and have lost two straight series at home. They are 4-1 as the road favorite this year and have gone 13-10 on the road overall. At home, the Tigers are just 10-13 this season. So far, they have been a bit better than average, going 12-10 as the favorite.
The Tigers have been a solid bet on the run line on the road this season, going 15-8. They have an average run margin of +1.4 runs per game away from Comerica Park, compared to -0.7 runs per game at home. Detroit’s overall run line record is 21-25, with an average run margin of +0.4 runs per game.
The Tigers have played 44 games this season, and 32 of them have had over/under lines set at 8.5 runs or lower. Their over/under record for the season is 23-21, but when the line is set at 8.5 runs, they are just 3-6. Their games have averaged 8.0 runs per game this season, and their games have gone over the line in three straight games.
Reese Olson Gets The Start For The Tigers
Detroit is sending right-hander Reese Olson to the mound today vs. the Royals. So far, he has made eight starts and has a record of 0-4 with an ERA of 2.09. Olsen’s WHIP for the season is .99. In his last outing, Olsen went eight innings vs. the Marlins, giving up no runs on six hits. He finished with three walks and didn’t allow a homer in the outing. Olsen has made four quality starts this season and is averaging 7.8 strikeouts per nine innings. So far, he has been better on the road, coming in with an ERA of 3.51 compared to 0.90 at home.
Tigers Offense Breakdown
Overall, the Tigers offense is averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 18th in the league. They have been a better offensive team on the road, averaging 4.7 runs per contest. Detroit’s home run numbers are just 16th in the league, and they are also batting a collective .234, which is 14th in the MLB. As a team, they are 18th in slugging percentage and 19th in on-base percentage.
Riley Greene and Mark Canha are the Tigers’ top two home run hitters coming into the game, with 9 and 6 homers, respectively. Greene is batting .249 for the season, and Canha is at .240. Kerry Carpenter has been the team’s best run producer so far, with 23 RBIs. Javier Báez is on a four-game hitting streak and is batting .370 over his last seven games.
The Royals’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Athletics, closing out their series with an 8-4 win. After allowing three runs to the Athletics in the top of the 1st, the Royals responded with two runs of their own. Kansas City went on to add another six runs in the 4th inning.
Brady Singer put together a good start for the Royals, going six innings and giving up just one earned run, and picking up the win. Kansas City’s offense was carried by Maikel Garcia, who went 2/4 with two doubles and two RBIs.
Kansas City is 29-19 overall, putting them 2nd in the AL Central, 1.5 games behind the Guardians for the division lead. The Royals have really been playing well, as they have won three straight games and are 7-3 over their last 10. Kansas City was excellent in their most recent series, sweeping the Athletics in three games.
At home, the Royals are 18-8 this season and have won four straight at home. They are just .500 at 11-11 on the road. As the favorite, the Royals have gone 14-6 this year and 15-13 as the underdog. So far, they have an 8-5 record as the home underdog. This season, the Royals are 8-7 in series.
When it comes to betting on the run line, the Royals have been a solid play this season, going 30-18 overall. They have been even better at home, where they are 17-9 against the run line. Their average run differential is +1.1 runs per game, and they have been especially good against the run line as the underdog, going 19-9. Their average run differential in wins is +3.8 runs per game, while it drops to -2.9 runs per game in losses.
When the Royals are at home, the over/under line has been set at 8.5 runs in 22.9% of their games this season. Their games have averaged 8.1 runs per game, and their over/under record is 17-29. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, their record is 5-14. So far, their games have gone over the over/under line in 37.5% of their games this season.
Michael Wacha Gets The Start For The Royals
Michael Wacha will be looking to build off his last outing, where he picked up the win vs. the Mariners. In that May 14th outing, he went six innings and gave up just one earned run. Looking back over his last three outings, Wacha has given up two or fewer earned runs in each. For the season, he has made nine starts, has a record of 3-4, and an ERA of 4.71. Wacha’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.37. Opposing batters are hitting .263 off the right-hander this year. So far, he has made four quality starts and is averaging 7.97 strikeouts per nine innings.
Royals Offense Breakdown
Salvador Perez has been one of the league’s best hitters this season, coming in with a batting average of .337 to go along with a team-high eight home runs and 37 RBIs, which is 3rd in the MLB. He has also been hot of late, going 8/17 in his last five games. Maikel Garcia is also on a three-game hitting streak and has gone 6/17 in his last four games. During this stretch, Garcia has one homer and six RBIs.
As a team, the Royals are averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 10th in the league. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.2 runs per contest. Overall, they are batting .244 and have the 11th best slugging percentage in the league. So far, they have been a good team at avoiding strikeouts but are near the bottom of the league in walks.
Tigers vs Royals Prediction
We really like the Royals on the money line at home today, as they are our predicted winner in a final score of 5-4. At -116, there is some good value in this payout, especially with the Royals being at home.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Michael Wacha finishing with five strikeouts, which would have him with the sixth-fewest among starters. As for Reese Olson, he is projected to finish with six, which would have him with the sixth-most.
Offensively, we have the Royals finishing with nine hits compared to the Tigers with nine. However, the Tigers are projected to finish with eight strikeouts compared to the Royals with eight.
Another reason we like the Royals is that they are projected to finish with more home runs, with the Royals finishing with seven compared to the Tigers with just four.
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:May 20, 2024 Royals, Tigers