The Detroit Tigers (23-25) travel to face off against the Kansas City Royals (31-19) on Wednesday, May 22nd. This game will be played at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City and televised on BSKC. 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 Royals. First pitch is set for 2:10 ET.
Tigers vs Royals
Thanks to a four-run 2nd inning for the Royals’ offense, they cruised to a 10-3 win over the Tigers in the most recent game of this series. Heading into the game, the Royals were favored at -112 on the money line.
The starting pitching matchup for this game featured Casey Mize for the Tigers, and he went just 1 2/3 innings while giving up six runs and took the loss. Alec Marsh put together a good outing for the Royals, getting the win after going six innings and giving up three earned runs.
Kansas City got a huge performance from Bobby Witt Jr., as he went 3/4 with two homers and six RBIs. Both Hunter Renfroe and Maikel Garcia each drove in two for the Royals’ offense.
Detroit is 23-25 overall this season, and they are 8.5 games behind the Guardians for the AL Central lead. The Tigers have dropped three straight games, and they trail the Royals 2-0 in their series heading into today’s game. So far, they have gone 10-8 in AL Central matchups.
At home, the Tigers are just 10-13 this year, but they have gone 13-12 on the road. As the favorite, Detroit has put together a record of 12-10, and they are 11-15 as the underdog. Looking at their overall series record, the Tigers are 7-6-2, and they have lost two straight series at home.
When it comes to the run line, the Tigers have been a much better bet on the road this season, going 15-10 compared to 6-17 at home. Their average run margin on the road is +0.8, compared to -0.7 at home. As the underdog, they are 16-10 vs. the run line, while they are just 5-17 as the favorite.
When the Detroit Tigers are on the road this season, the over has been a popular bet, with the over hitting in 58.3% of their games. The over/under line for today’s game against the Kansas City Royals is set at 7.5 runs, which is lower than their season average of 8 runs per game. Detroit’s games have averaged 8.2 runs per game this season, and their over/under record when the line is set at 7.5 runs is 9-6. The over has hit in their last five games.
Tarik Skubal Gets The Start For The Tigers
Tarik Skubal is coming off a dominant outing vs. the Diamondbacks in which he didn’t allow a run. In that May 17th start, he went six innings, picking up the win and giving up just one hit. Looking at his overall numbers, Skubal has made nine starts, has a record of 6-0, and an ERA of 1.80. Opponents are batting .176 vs. Skubal this season. The left-hander has made seven quality starts and is averaging 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings. Skubal’s WHIP for the season is .78.
Tigers Offense Breakdown
Over the last nine games, Colt Keith has been on fire for the Tigers, going 14/30 (.467) with four RBIs. Kerry Carpenter has also been swinging a good bat of late, going 9/30 with three homers and 10 RBIs. Carpenter is currently the Tigers’ leader in RBIs, while Riley Greene and Mark Canha are tied for the team lead with nine homers.
As a team, the Tigers are 18th in the league in scoring at 4.1 runs per game. They have been a better offensive team on the road this season, averaging 4.6 runs per contest. Detroit is also just 24th in the league in home runs and have a team batting average of just .233.
Kansas City is 31-19 overall and 2nd in the AL Central, trailing the Guardians by 1.5 games. The Royals have won five straight games, and they are 10-5 against other teams in the division this year. Kansas City has also won six straight at home, and they are 20-8 at home this year.
As the home underdog, the Royals have gone 8-5 this year and are 15-13 as the underdog overall. When favored, Kansas City is 16-6 this year. The Royals’ overall series record is 8-7, and they have gone 7-3 over their last 10 games.
When the Royals win, they win big, with an average run margin of 4.0 runs per game. They are 32-18 against the run line this season, including a 19-9 mark at home. Their average run margin is 1.3 runs per game overall, and they have covered the run line in six straight games at home.
Today’s over/under line for the Kansas City Royals’ game against the Detroit Tigers is set at 7.5 runs. The Royals have an over/under record of 19-29 on the season, and their games have averaged a combined 8.2 runs per game. Their games have gone over the line in three straight contests, and when the line is set at 7.5 runs, they have an 0-4 record. Overall, 84% of their games this season have had higher over/under lines than 7.5 runs.
Cole Ragans Gets The Start For The Royals
Cole Ragans will be looking to build off his last outing, where he didn’t give up a run and got the win. In that May 17th start vs. the Athletics, he went seven innings and didn’t give up a run. Looking at his overall numbers, Ragans has made 10 starts, and opponents are batting .227 off him this year. Ragans’ ERA is 3.70, along with a record of 3-3. For the season, he has one complete game shutout and six quality starts. The left-hander’s ERA at home is 8.5 compared to 2.82 on the road.
Royals Offense Breakdown
Salvador Perez has been on a tear of late, going 14/34 in his last nine games, with one home run and six RBIs. For the season, he is batting .343 with nine homers, which is 8th best in the league, and his 39 RBIs are 4th best in the MLB. Perez also comes into the game on a seven-game hitting streak. Bobby Witt Jr. is also swinging a good bat for the Royals, hitting .304 for the season and has gone 9/35 in his last nine games.
As a team, the Royals are averaging 4.8 runs per game and are one of the best home run hitting teams in the league. Overall, they are batting .249, which is 7th best in the league. So far, they have been a good contact team, as they have the 3rd fewest strikeouts in the league.
Tigers vs Royals Prediction
Our prediction for today’s Tigers vs. Royals game is that the Royals will pick up a 5-4 win. With the Royals being the underdog, there is some good value in taking them on the money line at -101.
If you’re looking for a prediction on the over/under line, we would take the over at 7.5 runs. However, we see this being a close one and would recommend sticking with a Royals win.
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 22, 2024 Royals, Tigers