St. Louis Cardinals (24-20) vs. Kansas City Royals (25-20)
May 16, 2025 7:40 pm EDT
The Line: Kansas City Royals -155 / St. Louis Cardinals 130; Over/Under: 8.5
(Get latest betting odds)
In this article, we will formulate a Royals vs Cardinals prediction for this MLB game on Friday, May 16, 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 (24-20, 9-14 Away) are playing their best baseball of the year. They won six consecutive series, including the sweeps of the Pirates and Nationals. The Cards won two of three games in the most recent series against the Phillies. In the rubber game on Wednesday, St. Louis won 14-7 and outhit Philadelphia 19-10. Alec Burleson led the team with four RBI, while Sonny Gray pitched for 3.2 innings in a no-decision, allowing seven runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and one walk. Chris Roycroft was credited with the win.
This season, the Cardinals average 4.82 runs per game (7th in the MLB) on a .262/.338/.406 triple-slash. When it comes to pitching, the Cardinals’ staff has a 3.85 ERA (13th) and 1.23 WHIP (11th). Willson Contreras leads the Cardinals with a .256 batting average, six home runs, and 25 RBI this season.
Andre Pallante will take the mound for the Cardinals on Friday. The 26-year-old right-hander has a 3-2 record in eight starts this year with a 4.36 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in 43.1 innings.
Kansas City Royals Betting Preview
The Kansas City Royals (25-20, 16-7 Home) were on a seven-game winning streak, their longest of the season, but then lost four of the next five games, losing the series to the Red Sox and Astros along the way. In the latest 4-3 defeat to the Astros on the road, Maikel Garcia led the offense with two RBI, while Michael Lorenzen took the loss after allowing four runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and one walk in 7.1 innings.
This year, the Royals average 3.42 runs per game (27th in the MLB) on a .242/.300/.360 triple-slash. When it comes to pitching, the Royals’ staff has a 3.03 ERA (2nd) and 1.18 WHIP (7th). Vinnie Pasquantino leads the Royals with a .220 batting average, six home runs, and 25 RBI this season.
The projected starting pitcher for the Royals is Cole Ragans, who is 2-2 in eight starts this season, with a 4.20 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 40.2 innings.
Total Runs Facts
- Each of the Royals’ last four home games against NL Central opponents have gone OVER the total runs line.
- Four of the Cardinals’ last five games have gone UNDER the total runs line.
- The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in 12 of the Royals’ last 13 games.
- The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in six of the Cardinals’ last seven night games against AL Central opponents.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Royals rank 2nd in the league for ERA this season (3.03).
- The Royals rank 28th in the league for walks this season (117).
- The Cardinals rank 3rd in the league for hits this season (394).
- The Cardinals rank T28th in the league for triples this season (1).
Royals vs Cardinals Prediction
The Royals won six of the previous ten H2H encounters, including three of the last four. Cole Ragans is not having the best of seasons so far, which is the main reason I am going with Over in this one. Ragans allowed 13 runs in his last four starts and failed to register a quality start in each. Andre Pallante, on the other hand, allowed multiple runs in all but one game this season, so I expect the batters on each side to score 3+ runs off the starters here in the opening five innings. Go with Over.
