Kansas City Royals vs St. Louis Cardinals Betting Pick & Prediction 7/9/24
The forecast for Tuesday’s Royals vs. Cardinals interleague matchup calls for moderate rain and temperatures in the mid to upper 60s. The game is being played at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, and the Cardinals are the slight favorite on the money line (-121).
Both teams will be sending their aces to the mound, as Michael Wacha goes for the Royals, and he is facing off against Andre Pallante. First pitch from St. Louis is set for 7:45 PM ET. BSMW is carrying this game on TV.
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS VS KANSAS CITY ROYALS BETTING PICK
The Pick: St. Louis Cardinals Moneyline -121
This game will be played at Busch Stadium at 7:45 ET on Tuesday, July 9th.
HOW TO BET THE ROYALS VS CARDINALS:
- We have the Cardinals winning by a score of 6 to 5
- If you’re looking for a run line pick, we also like the Cardinals to cover
- As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 11 runs and like the over
Royals Records & Stats
Bobby Witt Jr. and the Royals are coming off a big 10-1 win over the Rockies to close out their series. Witt really got things going for the Royals, as they scored four runs in the 2nd inning, and he added another three runs with a homer in the 4th. The Royals went on to add another three runs in the 8th to put things out of reach. Looking at the betting lines going into the game, the Royals were at -172.
Brady Singer started for the Athletics, going seven innings and giving up just one run on six hits. He only had one strikeout in the outing and got the win.
Kansas City heads into today’s road matchup vs. the Cardinals with an overall record of 49-43, which has them 3rd in the AL Central. They are 8.5 games behind the Guardians for the division lead, and they are 16-10 against other teams in the AL Central. The Royals dropped two of three in their most recent series vs. the Rockies.
At home, the Royals have gone 31-18 this year, and they are just below .500 at 18-25 on the road. So far, they have been good as the favorite, putting up a mark of 25-15, and they are 24-28 as the underdog. The Royals’ overall series record is 13-15-1, and they have lost two straight series.
When the Royals win, they win big, with an average run margin of 3.8 runs per game. When they lose, they lose big, with an average run margin of -3.0 runs per game. Overall, they have a run differential of +0.6 runs per game this season. Their run line record is 51-41, with a 29-20 record at home and a 22-21 record on the road. As the favorite, they are 20-20 vs. the run line, while as the underdog, they are 31-21.
The Kansas City Royals are on the road today against the St. Louis Cardinals. The over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs. The Royals have a combined run average of 8.5 runs per game this season. Their over/under record for the season is 38-51, and the average over/under line for their games is 8 runs. When the line is set at 8 runs, their record is 9-9-2. So far this season, 55.4% of their games have had over/under lines set at over 8 runs, while 22.8% have been set at under 8 runs.
Michael Wacha will be looking to build off his last outing, where he faced off against the Rays and picked up the win. In that July 3rd outing, he went six innings and gave up just one earned run. Looking at his overall numbers, Wacha has made 15 starts and has a record of 5-6. His ERA for the season is 3.73, along with a WHIP of 1.22. Opposing batters have a batting average of .240 this season. Wacha has made seven quality starts this year and is averaging 8 strikeouts per nine innings. For the season, he has allowed 8 homers and is averaging 2.77 walks per nine innings.
Heading into today’s game, the Royals are averaging 4.5 runs per game, which is 13th in the league. At home, they have been even better, putting up 5.2 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .246, which is 10th in the league, and are one of the best teams in the league at avoiding strikeouts. Kansas City’s offense has been led by Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez, with Witt Jr. leading the team with a .324 batting average and 15 homers. Perez is batting .276 for the season and is 2nd on the team with 14 homers.
Witt Jr. has been especially hot of late, going 15/28 in his last seven games, with three homers and eight RBIs. He also has nine runs scored in that stretch. Witt Jr. is also on a seven-game hitting streak, as is Freddy Fermin and Vinnie Pasquantino.
Cardinals Records & Stats
A big game by Alec Burleson at the plate helped the Cardinals close out their series vs. the Nationals with a 6-0 win. Burleson went 2/5 with three RBIs and a homer. The Cardinals really broke things open with a three-run 3rd inning. St. Louis was the +100 underdog going into this road game.
Miles Mikolas started for the Cardinals, going 6 1/3 innings, and didn’t give up a run. He also issued just three hits and struck out three. Mikolas got the win and was efficient, throwing only 79 pitches.
St. Louis is 48-42 overall and 4.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. The Cardinals will take on the Royals at home today, and they are 2nd in the NL Central and lead the Pirates by 5.0 games. This year, they have gone just 13-12 in divisional games.
At home, the Cardinals are 24-18 this year and have gone 24-24 on the road. St. Louis has won two straight games, and they took three of four from the Nationals in their most recent series. The Cardinals have an overall series record of 16-11-2 this year.
When betting on the Cardinals’ run line, it is important to note that they have a negative run differential on the season. They have a run line record of 46-44, with a 24-18 mark at home and a 22-26 record on the road. They have been a better bet as the underdog, going 29-17 against the run line, compared to 17-27 as the favorite. Their average run differential in wins is +2.5, while it is -3.6 in losses.
When the Cardinals are at home, the over/under line is set at 8 runs, and their games have averaged 8.6 runs per game this season. Their over/under record is 41-46, and when the line is set at 8 runs, they are 7-9-1. In 54.4% of their games, the over/under line has been set at more than 8 runs, and in 26.7% of their games, the line has been set at fewer than 8 runs.
Right-hander Andre Pallante gets the start for the Cardinals today as he faces the Royals at home. Through 16 appearances and seven starts, Pallante has a record of 4-3 and an ERA of 4.00. He has pitched much better at home this season, coming in with a record of 3-1 and an ERA of 2.06. So far, he has made two quality starts and is averaging 7.2 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, Pallante went seven innings, giving up one earned run, and finished with a no-decision. Before that, he had won two straight starts.
With a team batting average of .244, the Cardinals are 12th in the league and are averaging 4.1 runs per game, which is 21st in the MLB. Their home run total of 86 is 19th in the league, and their isolated power (ISO) of .137 is also 21st. The team’s top two home run hitters are Alec Burleson and Nolan Gorman, who have 14 and 17 homers, respectively.
Over his last six games, Willson Contreras has gone 7/24 with three home runs and eight RBIs. Brendan Donovan is batting .268 for the season and has gone deep eight times, which is 2nd on the team. Gorman and Burleson are currently tied for the team lead in RBIs, with 45.