Subscribe
Follow Us
The Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals wrap up a four game set Thursday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium. This game will continue our MLB odds series as we hand out a Tigers-Royals prediction and pick while letting you know how to watch, as well.
This will be the 10th game played between the two teams. The Tigers currently lead the season series 6-3. In the nine games played, Detroit is batting .241. Javy Baez has 13 hits in seven games played, including a home run to lead the Tigers. Detroit has hit a total of eight home runs against the Royals this season. Zack Short and Riley Greene each have two of those home runs. On the mound, the Tigers have a 3.71 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 9.6 K/9 against Kansas City this season. In nine starts, Detroit has been able to get four quality starts from their pitchers.
The Royals are batting .238 in nine games against the Tigers this season. Maikal Garcia leads the team with 12 hits, including a home run. The Royals have hit five home runs in total during the nine games. Those five home runs give the Royals a total of 27 extra base hits against Detroit in nine games played. Pitching wise, the Royals have a 4.50 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, and 7.4 K/9 in their games with the Tigers. Jordan Lyles has two quality starts while Daniel Lynch has the other one.
Michael Lorenzen will start against Zack Greinke in this one.
Here are the Tigers-Royals MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Tigers-Royals Odds
Detroit Tigers: -1.5 (+128)
Kansas City Royals: +1.5 (-154)
Over: 9 (+100)
Under: 9 (-122)
How To Watch Tigers vs. Royals
TV: Bally Sports Detroit, Bally Sports Kansas City
Stream: MLB TV subscription
Article Continues Below
Time: 2:10 PM ET/11:10 AM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Tigers Could Cover The Spread
Lorenzen has made two starts against the Royals this season. He struggled in one of them, but he more recently was able to shut them down. In the more recent start against Kansas City, Lorenzen was able to pitch six innings and allowed just one run on five hits while striking out seven. If he can have that type of start, the Tigers will be able to cover the spread with ease. The Royals are not very good offensively, so Lorenzen has a chance to shut down one of the worst teams in baseball.
In July, Lorenzen has made two starts. In those starts, he has pitched 11 2/3 total innings and has yet to give up a run. He has also given up just five hits while striking out 11. He must have figured something out when the calendar flipped to July. Lorenzen was an All-Star this season and he is finally showing why. If he can keep pitching with confidence and shut down a bad offensive team, the Tigers will easily cover the spread.
Why The Royals Could Cover The Spread
Greinke has already started against the Tigers this season. In that start, Greinke went five innings, allowed one run on four hits and struck out five. Greinke has not gone deep into starts as much this season, but he does keep his team in the game for the most part. The Tigers are not very good offensively, so Greinke has a chance to shut them down again in this one. If he can go five or six strong, the Royals will keep the game close.
Final Tigers-Royals Prediction & Pick
The Royals need Greinke to have one of his better games if they want to split the four game set with Detroit. However, Lorenzen and the Tigers seem to have Kansas City's number. I do not exect that to change, but I do expect the Royals to keep the game within a run. I am taking Kansas City.
Final Tigers-Royals Prediction & Pick: Royals +1.5 (-154), Under 9 (-122)
