Royals vs Cardinals Prediction 5/18/25 MLB Picks Today

In this article, we will formulate a Royals vs Cardinals prediction for this MLB game on Sunday, May 18, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this MLB matchup.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Preview

The St. Louis Cardinals (26-20, 11-14 Away) are going through their best period of the season, during which they won six straight series, and will add another one after defeating the Royals in the opening two games of this series. The Cards swept the Pirates and Nationals along the way and then secured 10-3 and 1-0 victories against the Royals. In last night’s 1-0 W, Miles Mikolas got the win after allowing no runs on two hits with four strikeouts and two walks across 6.0 innings of work.

This season, the Cardinals average 4.93 runs per game (6th in the MLB) on a .264/.338/.408 triple-slash. When it comes to pitching, the Cardinals’ staff has a 3.83 ERA (12th) and 1.23 WHIP (11th). Lars Nootbaar leads the Cardinals with a .254 batting average, seven home runs, and 24 RBI this season.

Matthew Liberatore will take the mound for the Cardinals on Sunday. The 25-year-old left-hander has a 3-3 record in eight starts this year with a 3.11 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in 46.1 innings.

Kansas City Royals Betting Preview

The Kansas City Royals (25-22, 16-9 Home) were on a good run of seven wins, but now they have lost six of the previous eight games. Following series losses to the Red Sox and Astros, the Royals fell to the Cardinals in the opening two games of the current series. Last night, Kansas City failed to score for the fifth time this year in a 1-0 defeat. Noah Cameron took the loss after allowing one run on two hits with three strikeouts and no walks in 6.1 innings.

This year, the Royals average 3.41 runs per game (27th in the MLB) on a .242/.299/.363 triple-slash. When it comes to pitching, the Royals’ staff has a 3.16 ERA (2nd) and 1.18 WHIP (8th). Vinnie Pasquantino leads the Royals with a .221 batting average, seven home runs, and 26 RBI this season.

The projected starting pitcher for the Royals is Michael Wacha, who is 3-4 in nine starts this season, with a 2.96 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 51.2 innings.

Total Runs Facts

• Each of the Cardinals’ last four road games after playing the previous day have gone UNDER the total runs line.
• Five of the last six games between the Cardinals and Royals have gone OVER the total runs line.
• The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in 14 of the Royals’ last 15 games.
• The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in six of the Cardinals’ last seven day games against American League opponents.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Royals rank 29th in the league for walks this season (119).
• The Royals rank 2nd in the league for ERA this season (3.11).
• The Cardinals rank 3rd in the league for hits this season (409).
• The Cardinals rank T28th in the league for triples this season (1).

Royals vs Cardinals Prediction

The teams have traded victories in the past couple of years, each recording five in the previous ten H2H duels. The Cards won three of the last four and were better in Game 1 and Game 2 of this series. Seven of St. Louis’ last ten games went Under, which was the case in six of Kansas City’s previous ten games. Matthew Liberatore hasn’t allowed more than two runs in each of his last six starts, while Michael Wacha registered two shutouts in his previous four starts. The Royals are not great against southpaws this year; they have a .237 BA in 334 at-bats. Back the Under.