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It is an AL Central showdown as the Detroit Tigers face the Kansas City Royals. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Tigers-Royals prediction, pick, and how-to watch.
The Tigers come into the match-up winning two of three in Seattle after the break. Detroit has won five of their last ten games and now sits at 41-51 on the season. While they are ten games under .500, they are just six games back of the Twins for first place in the division. To get back into the division title race, the Tigers will need to be winning games like these against lesser opponents.
Meanwhile, the Royals won their first game after the break yesterday, beating the Rays 8-4. It was just their second win in their last ten games and the Royals are now 27-67 on the season. The Royals are already looking towards next season, considering trade options for their top players.
Here are the Tigers-Royals MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Tigers-Royals Odds
Detroit Tigers: -1.5 (+120)
Kansas City Royals: +1.5 (-144)
Over: 9.5 (-105)
Under: 9.5 (-115)
How To Watch Tigers vs. Royals
TV: BSDET/BSKC
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 8:10 PM ET/ 5:10 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Tigers Could Cover The Spread
For the Tigers to get wins, it will have to start with their pitching. They allowed just six runs in the series with the Mariners, which was good enough to get them two wins. In their last five wins, two of them have been shutouts, with one under three runs. Overall, the pitching is not the best, but it is better than the offense. They are 21st in batting average this year while sitting 20th in quality starts. They have done well keeping people off base though, sitting sixth in WHIP and 11th in opponent batting average.
It will be Matt Manning on the hill today for the Tigers. He is 3-1 on the season with a 3.72 ERA. In five starts this year, he has been solid. He has gone five or more innings in each of them. He has given up four runs in two of the game, two runs in two of the others, and did not give up a run in his most recent outing. Manning was a part of the combined no-hitter for the Tigers against the Blue Jays in that game.
The Tigers do have to score some runs if they are going to get the win. That has been a struggle for them this year. They are 28th in the majors in runs scored this year, while sitting 29th in batting average, 28th in on-base percentage, and 29th in slugging. Spencer Torkelson has been the leader in terms of running production for the team. He leads the team in home runs and RBIs on the year. It has been a fairly average month for him so far. He is hitting just .267 on the month, with a home run and six RBIs. Torkelson also has three doubles and a triple this month with eight runs scored.
The hottest bat on the team as of late belongs to Kerry Carpenter. He is hitting .303 on the month with four home runs and 11 RBIs. Three of the home runs and six of the RBIs came in the series with the Mariners. He has also scored five times this month and hit a double.
Why The Royals Could Cover The Spread
Much like the Tigers, the Royals' offense is a struggle. They are 29th in the majors in runs scored this year, while sitting 25th in batting average, 28th in slugging, and last in the majors in on-base percentage. The offense is led by Bobby Witt Jr. Witt leads the team in batting average, RBIs, and home runs so far this year. It has been a great month for him at the plate as well. He is hitting .370 so far this month while driving in 12 runs. He has four doubles, two triples, and four home runs in that time frame as well. This has led to him scoring seven times with the help of four stolen bases.
Salvador Perez has also been hitting well this month, hitting .303. He has also had an OBP of .378 which has led to him scoring three times and driving in a run. The Royals may be without their all-star catcher in this one though, as he injured his hamstring on Sunday. Freddy Fermin will be the most likely replacement, and he has had some signs of quality hitting this year. He is struggling so far in July, but in June he hit .361 with 11 RBIs.
Another hot bat in the lineup has been Drew Waters. Waters is hitting .303 with six RBIs on the month. He has also scored six times this month with the help of a double, a triple, and a home run. Meanwhile, the Royals will be hoping to get MJ Melendez back in position to drive in runs. While hitting just .220 this month, he has just two RBIs. He has scored four times this month though.
Jordan Lyles will be on the mound today for the Royals. He is 1-11 this year with a 6.42 ERA. The last time out was one of his best of the season. He went five innings giving up just one run on solo home runs. It was only the second time all year he gave up just one run in a game. He got the no-decision in both of them, and the Royals lost both.
Final Tigers-Royals Prediction & Pick
The Royals are just 1-16 when Jordan Lyles starts a game this year. While the Tiger's offense does not score a lot, they will be able to score against Lyles. They have enough big bats in the offense to score enough runs. Kerry Carpenter can easily hit a big shot that will get them the lead. Matt Manning has been good for the Tigers as well of late. He is going to shut down this Royals offense that struggles to score. Pick the Tigers in this one over the Royals
Final Tigers-Royals Prediction & Pick: Tigers -1.5 (+120)
