Kansas City Royals (63-91) vs. Detroit Tigers (61-92)
September 29, 2022 1:10 pm EDT
The Line: Detroit Tigers -125 / Kansas City Royals -105; Over/Under: +7.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Kansas City Royals and the Detroit Tigers meet Thursday in MLB action from Comerica Park. This will be the finale in a three-game series. The Tigers eked out a one-run win in the opener, then on Wednesday Detroit kept it going with another one-run victory. Check back all season long for free MLB picks at Sports Chat Place.
Kansas City had a 3-0 lead going into the eighth inning on Tuesday but couldn’t hold on in a 10-inning loss 4-3. In the Wednesday game the Royals posted 10 team hits but couldn’t score after the first inning in a 2-1 loss. Starter Daniel Lynch put up 6.0 innings, two earned, five hits and a walk.
For the starter job in the Thursday matchup the Royals will go with Jonathan Heasley. Over his 19 starts so far Heasley is 4-8 with a 4.87 ERA. In 94.1 innings total he has 51 earned on 93 hits and 44 was with 65 Ks.
Over on the Tigers’ side, they scored three runs in the eighth inning on Tuesday during the comeback win. On Wednesday Detroit scored both runs in the first inning and hung on for the victory. Daniel Norris and Garrett Hill combined for 4.0 frames, zero earned, three hits, two walks and four Ks.
Eduardo Rodriguez will take the mound for the start on Thursday. Across his 15 starts this year Rodriguez is 4-5 with a 4.37 ERA. In 78.1 innings he has 38 earned on 76 hits and 29 walks with 62 Ks.
The Royals are 5-2 in their last seven in game three of a series and 16-35 in their last 51 road games. The under is 15-5-1 in KC’s last 21 Thursday games.
Meanwhile, the Tigers are 16-37 in their last 53 versus a right-handed starter and 18-44 in their last 62 Thursday games. Detroit is 1-4 in their last five in game three of a series.
PICK: I’m going with the Royals. Heasley had a rough start the last time he faced the Tigers, with seven earned in 4.0 innings. He’ll certainly need a bounce-back outing here, but the good news is that Heasley has just one earned in 12.2 innings in his last two starts. As for Rodriguez, he’s been okay over his last pair with five earned in 12.1 innings total. Should be a decent starter matchup regardless.
