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The Kansas City Royals are on the road to take on the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday morning. The series opener was postponed Tuesday and will be played as Game 1 of the doubleheader on Wednesday. Below we will continue our MLB odds series with a Royals-Cardinals prediction and pick.
Royals-Cardinals Projected Starters
Michael Wacha vs. Andre Pallante
Michael Wacha (5-6) with a 3.74 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 84.1 innings pitched, 75K/26BB, .243 oBA
Last Start: vs. Tampa Bay Rays: Win, 6 innings, 2 hits, one run, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
2024 Road Splits: 8 starts, 3.94 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 45.2 innings pitched, 41K/14BB, .224 oBA
Andre Pallante (4-3) with a 4.00 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 45 innings pitched, 36K/19BB, .267 oBA
Last Start: at Pittsburgh Pirates: No Decision, 7 innings, 4 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts
2024 Home Splits: 7 games, 3 starts, 4.12 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 19.2 innings pitched, 16K/10BB, .286 oBA
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Royals-Cardinals Game 1 Odds
Kansas City Royals: +1.5 (-194)
Moneyline: +110
St. Louis Cardinals: -1.5 (+160)
Moneyline: -130
Over: 8.5 (-112)
Under: 8.5 (-108)
How to Watch Royals vs. Cardinals Game 1
Time: 1:45 PM ET/10:45 AM PT
TV: Bally Sports Kansas City, Bally Sports Midwest
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Royals Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Royals have been a very good team this season. They are throwing, and hitting the ball well. Offensively, the Royals have to be at the top of their game to win this one. Kansas City is 11th in barrel percentage, 10th in hard hit percentage, fifth in average exit velocity, ninth in doubles, and 12th in runs scored. The Royals need to continue hitting the ball well if they want to win this game.
Michael Wacha is on the mound for this one, and he is having a very respectable season. He has a great chance to have another good game Tuesday night. The Cardinals are bottom-10 in the MLB in barrel percentage, hard hit percentage, average exit velocity, home runs, and Slugging percentage. St. Louis does not hit the ball well, and the Royals should be able to take advantage of that.
Why The Cardinals Will Cover The Spread/Win
Pallante has been a little better as a starter this season. His strikeout rate is about 11 percent higher as a starter, and his opponent's batting average is much lower. Along with that, his ERA as a starter this season is 3.34. He has pitched well since moving into the starting rotation, and that should continue in this game. If Pallante can carry his momentum into this game, the Cardinals will win this game.
The Cardinals will have to find a way to hit the ball well in this game. As mentioned, they have struggled all season, but they are coming off a good weekend, and they have been hitting well in their last 10 games. In those games, St. Louis is batting .264 with a .721 OPS, and 46 runs scored. The Cardinals should be able to keep that momentum going in this game. If they can do that, the Cardinals will win this game.
Final Royals-Cardinals Game 1 Prediction & Pick
With how both teams are playing at the moment, this should be a good game and a good series. The Royals are the better team on paper, but the Cardinals are playing well lately. As mentioned, Pallante is throwing well as a starter, and Wacha has been great in his return to the mound. I am going to take the Royals to win this game. Wacha has the hot hand, and I think it will continue here.
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Final Royals-Cardinals Game 1 Prediction & Pick: Royals ML (+110)
