The Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals meet Friday in MLB action at Busch Stadium. Here’s a Cardinals vs Royals Prediction. This article will include a Cardinals vs Royals Pick.
Kansas City Royals Betting Preview
The Kansas City Royals are 19-25 on the year and play the Red Sox and Mariners next. The Kansas City Royals are batting .240 on the season, have a .319 OBP, and have a .389 slugging percentage. The Kansas City Royals pitching staff has a 4.43 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. Bobby Witt Jr. leads the Kansas City Royals with 53 hits and 22 RBI while Maikel Garcia and Salvador Perez have combined for 78 hits and 36 RBI.
Michael Wacha gets the ball for the Kansas City Royals, and he is 4-2 with a 2.63 ERA and 42 strikeouts this season. Wacha is 4-0 with a 2.76 ERA and 26 strikeouts in his career against the St. Louis Cardinals.
St. Louis Cardinals Betting Preview
The St. Louis Cardinals are 25-18 on the year and play the Reds and Pirates next. The St. Louis Cardinals are batting .240 on the season and have a .321 OBP, and a .390 slugging percentage. The St. Louis Cardinals pitching staff has a 4.29 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. Jordan Walker leads the St. Louis Cardinals with 47 hits and 32 RBI while Alec Burleson and Ivan Herrera have combined for 87 hits and 50 RBI.
Dustin May gets the ball for the St. Louis Cardinals, and he is 3-4 with a 4.85 ERA and 32 strikeouts this season. May is 0-1 with a 8.22 ERA and 7 strikeouts in his career against the Kansas City Royals.
Why the St. Louis Cardinals will win
- The Cardinals have won nine of their last 10 night games after playing the previous day.
- The Royals have lost seven of their last eight road games against teams that held a winning record.
- The Royals have failed to cover the run line in seven of their last eight games.
- The Cardinals have covered the run line in each of their last four games as favorites against AL Central opponents.
- The Royals have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last seven road games against opponents that held a winning record.
- The Royals have trailed after 3 innings in five of their last six games against opponents that held a winning record.
Why the Kansas City Royals will win
- The underdogs have won each of the Royals’ last four games.
- The Cardinals have lost each of their last four games as favorites against the Royals following a win.
- The Royals have covered the run line in each of their last 10 road games against the Cardinals.
- The Cardinals have failed to cover the run line in 11 of their last 12 games as home favorites following a win.
- The Cardinals have trailed after 5 innings in seven of their last eight games as home favorites against American League opponents.
- The Royals have won the first inning in each of their last three games against the Cardinals.
Total Runs Facts
- Each of the Cardinals’ last six games after playing the previous day have gone UNDER the total runs line.
- Each of the Royals’ last four games have gone OVER the total runs line.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Cardinals’ last six home games against AL Central opponents.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Royals’ last five games as underdogs.
St. Louis Cardinals Player Prop Facts
- Alec Burleson has hit a home run in two of the Cardinals’ last three games as favorites against the Royals.
- Alec Burleson has recorded two or more hits in each of his last six appearances with the Cardinals as favorites against AL opponents.
- Jordan Walker ranks T8th in the league in Home Runs (12) this season.
Kansas City Royals Player Prop Facts
- Salvador Perez has hit at least one home run in each of the Royals’ last three night games against NL opponents that held a winning record.
- Michael Wacha has recorded a win in five of his last six appearances against NL Central opponents.
- Michael Wacha has recorded five or more strikeouts in each of his last five appearances against NL opponents that held a winning record.
- Salvador Perez has recorded at least one hit in each of the Royals’ last eight road games against NL Central opponents that held a winning record.
- Bobby Witt Jr. ranks T3rd in the league in Hits (53) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Cardinals rank 30th in the league for strikeouts this season (312).
- The Cardinals rank T27th in the league for triples this season (2).
- The Royals rank 27th in the league for walks allowed this season (191).
- The Royals rank 22nd in the league for runs scored this season (181).
Cardinals vs Royals Prediction
I considered the Royals because Wacha has pitched well this season and he’s owned his former team in a handful of starts. The problem is the Royals can’t get out of their own way and they’ve been horrible on the road. May hasn’t been good through 42.2 innings with a 4.85 ERA and 1.43 WHIP, but his team overall is playing the better ball. You’re giving me the better team at home with the pick em price, I have to take it. Give me the Cardinals.