Detroit Tigers vs Kansas City Royals Prediction 4-28-24 Picks
Kansas City Royals (17-11) vs. Detroit Tigers (15-12)
April 28, 2024 1:40 pm EDT
The Line: Detroit Tigers -150 / Kansas City Royals +130; Over/Under: +7.5
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In this article we will formulate a Detroit Tigers vs Kansas City Royals prediction for this MLB game on Sunday, April 28th at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. Let’s take a look at the prediction for game three in this series.
Detroit Going for Third Straight Series Win
The Detroit Tigers are 15-12 this year and they have won four of their last six games. Detroit was shutout in game one on Friday, but they did win game two by a score of 6-5 on Saturday night. Prior to this series, the Tigers won two out of three against Tampa Bay and two out of three against the Twins. Detroit has played decently well through 27 games this year, but their offense has a tendency to go completely missing for a game or two at times. Regardless, the Tigers are right in the AL Central race with Cleveland and Kansas City.
The Detroit pitching staff has a 3.22 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, and a .213 opponent batting average. The Tigers offense has scored 107 runs with a .220 batting average and a .296 on base percentage. Kerry Carpenter is batting .277 with three home runs and 14 RBI’s for the Tigers this year. Detroit has one of the top team ERA’s in the MLB this season, but they have allowed 20 runs in their last three games, so they need to stop the bleeding with a good outing here.
Kansas City Looks to Bounce Back
The Kansas City Royals are 17-11 this season and they have won four of their last five games. The Royals exploded for a huge ninth inning on Friday in their game one win, but they did blow a lead on Saturday in their loss. Prior to this series, the Royals won three out of four against Toronto, but lost two out of three to Baltimore. The Royals have been another surprising team to start the season and when you look at their numbers, it looks like it is not a fluke. The Royals are currently second in the AL Central, just 2.5 games behind Cleveland.
The Kansas City pitching staff has a 3.14 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP, and a .236 opponent batting average. The Royals offense has scored 132 runs with a .236 batting average and a .303 on base percentage. Salvador Perez is batting .350 with seven home runs and 26 RBI’s for the Royals this year. Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. have been great for this Kansas City offense through 28 games, but I do question if Perez can keep it up.
Starting Pitchers
The projected starting pitcher for Kansas City is Michael Wacha, who is 1-2 with a 3.81 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP over 28.1 innings pitched this year. Wacha has allowed two earned runs or fewer in three of his last four starts, but he has allowed 22 hits over his last 16.1 innings pitched. The projected starting pitcher for Detroit is Tarik Skubal, who is 3-0 with a 1.82 ERA and a 0.74 WHIP over 29.2 innings pitched this year. Skubal has allowed two earned runs or fewer in four of his five starts this season and he has been one of the better pitchers in the AL this year.
Detroit Tigers Team Facts
- The underdogs have won five of the Tigers’ last six games.
- The Tigers have failed to cover the run line in each of their last 10 games as favorites after playing the previous day.
- The Tigers have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last four games as favorites against AL Central opponents.
- The Tigers have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last four games as favorites against AL Central opponents.
Kansas City Royals Team Facts
- The Royals have won each of their last nine Sunday games against the Tigers.
- The Royals have covered the run line in each of their last six games following a road loss.
- The Royals have won the first inning in three of their last four games as underdogs against American League opponents.
- The Royals have led after 5 innings in each of their last five games as underdogs against American League opponents.
- The Royals have led after 3 innings in each of their last eight road games against American League opponents that held a winning record.
Detroit Tigers vs Kansas City Royals Prediction
Detroit was able to get a late rally to get the win on Saturday, and they will look for another series win in this matchup. The Tigers offense has been slightly better in recent games, but they need to lean on their pitching if they are going to have success this year. Like I mentioned above, Detroit has allowed quite a few runs in their last three games, but I think Skubal is going to get them back on track here. My Detroit Tigers vs Kansas City Royals prediction is for the Tigers to win game three at home.