Kansas City Royals vs Detroit Tigers Betting Pick & Prediction 8/2/24
Friday’s forecast for the Royals vs. Tigers matchup calls for moderate rain and temperatures in the mid-80s. The over/under line is at 7 runs, and the Tigers are favored on the money line (-118). Kansas City has a record of 61-49, and the game will be televised on APLTV.
First pitch from Comerica Park is set for 6:40 PM ET. Tarik Skubal will be starting for the Tigers, while the Royals are going with Cole Ragans. Kansas City is currently on a four-game winning streak, and they are the slight underdog on the money line (+101).
KANSAS CITY ROYALS VS DETROIT TIGERS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Kansas City Royals Moneyline -101
This game will be played at Comerica Park at 6:40 ET on Friday, August 2nd.
HOW TO BET THE ROYALS VS TIGERS:
- We have the Royals winning by a score of 5 to 4
- If you’re looking for a run line pick, we also like the Royals to cover
- As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the over
Thanks to a three-home run performance from Vinnie Pasquantino, the Royals cruised to a 7-1 win over the Tigers in the most recent game of this series. Heading into the game, the Royals were favored at -163 on the money line.
Pasquantino hit homers in the first, 2nd, and 8th innings for the Royals. He finished the game with four RBIs and two runs scored. Bobby Witt Jr. and Freddy Fermin each had two hits and two RBIs.
Kansas City got to Tigers starter Keider Montero, who gave up four earned runs in just seven innings of work and took the loss. As for the Royals, they got a good outing from Seth Lugo, who gave up just one earned run across eight innings of work and got the win.
Royals Records & Stats
Kansas City is on a four-game winning streak, and they are 61-49 overall this season. The Royals are six games behind the Guardians in the AL Central and have gone 23-10 against other teams in the division. So far, they have dropped the first game of the series just under half the time, as their series record is 16-17-1.
At home, the Royals have gone 36-22 this season, and they have won four straight games on the road. As the underdog, the Royals are 26-30 this year, and they are 35-19 as the favorite. So far, they have been good at home, losing just two straight series at home.
When the Royals are on the road, they have been a solid bet against the run line, posting a 29-23 record. Their average run differential on the road is +0.5, and they have covered the run line in two straight games. As an underdog, they have been especially good against the run line, going 34-22. In games they have won, their average run differential is +3.9.
The Kansas City Royals are on the road today against the Detroit Tigers, with the over/under line set at 7 runs. The combined run average for Royals games this season is 8.6 runs, and their over/under record is 46-61. The average over/under line for Royals games is 8 runs, and their over/under record when the line is set at 7 runs is 4-2-1. So far this season, 93.6% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 7 runs.
Cole Ragans gets the start for the Royals today as he faces off against the Tigers on the road. He has made 22 starts this season and has a record of 7-7 with an ERA of 3.37. Ragans’ WHIP for the season is currently 1.17. In his 22 appearances, he has turned in 15 quality starts and is averaging 10.73 strikeouts per nine innings. Ragans’ last outing came on July 28th, where he took the loss, giving up four earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts. So far, he has been much better on the road, with an ERA of 2.85 compared to 5.85 at home.
The Royals have been one of the league’s best home run hitting teams this season and come into the game with the 7th best team batting average in the league. As a team, they are averaging 4.7 runs per game and have been even better at home, putting up 5.2 runs per contest. The Royals have been very good at putting the ball in play this season, as they come into the game as the league’s best team in terms of fewest strikeouts.
Bobby Witt Jr. has been on a tear of late, going 15/31 in his last eight games with two homers and eight RBIs. For the season, he is batting .350 with 20 homers and 78 RBIs. Salvador Perez has also been a big power threat for the Royals, as he has 19 homers and 73 RBIs while batting .278.
Tigers Records & Stats
Detroit is 52-58 overall and trails the Guardians by 15 games in the AL Central. The Tigers have lost four straight games, and they are 3-7 in their last 10. This season, they are 19-20 against other teams in the AL Central.
At home, the Tigers are 25-29 this year, and they are just above .500 at 27-29 on the road. So far, they have been the favorite 42 times, going 22-20 in those games. As the underdog, Detroit is 30-38 this year, and they have lost four straight at home as the favorite in a game.
When betting the run line, the Tigers have been a better play on the road than at home, going 33-23 versus 21-33. They’ve been a better play as the underdog, going 42-26 compared to 12-30 as the favorite. Their average run margin in winning games is +3.6, while it’s -3.5 in losing games. They’ve failed to cover the run line in four straight home games.
When the Detroit Tigers play at home, the over/under line is set at 7 runs. The Tigers have played 10 games with an O/U line of 7 this season, and their record in those games is 5-5. Overall, the Tigers’ games have averaged 8.5 runs per game this season, and their O/U record is 59-48. The Tigers have played 97 games with O/U lines set higher than 7 runs, and their games have gone over the total in 88.2% of those contests.
Tarik Skubal is getting the start for the Tigers today vs. the Royals and comes into the game with a record of 12-3 and an ERA of 2.35. Skubal has made 21 starts this year and has pitched well at home, coming in with a record of 7-0 and an ERA of 1.96. In his last outing, he went seven innings vs. the Twins, giving up two earned runs and picking up the win. Skubal has won each of his last three starts and has only allowed one earned run in each of those outings. His WHIP for the season is currently .92.
Heading into today’s game, the Tigers are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 21st in the league. This has been the case both at home and on the road. As a team, they are batting just .230, which is 20th in the league. However, they do have a couple of hitters who have put up good power numbers so far, as Riley Greene and Matt Vierling are 1st and 2nd on the team in home runs, respectively.
Over his last five games, Javier Baez has three homers but is just 3/17 in this stretch. As a team, the Tigers will be looking for some better performances at the plate, as they are near the bottom of the league in both on-base percentage and slugging.