The Kansas City Royals were hit hard by injuries this season, and are a big underdog to return to the playoffs and defend their World Series title. A fellow A.L. Central foe would love to have a shot at replacing them as the world champions. The Detroit Tigers are in a tight race for the playoffs and would get a boost from a win over the Royals on Monday, August 15th, 2016, in Monday Night Baseball at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. The Royals have the better starting pitcher but the Tigers boast the better offense and home field advantage, so this could be a close game in MLB wagering.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
The Detroit Tigers ended play on Thursday with a record of 61-53, which was just a half-game back of the Boston Red Sox for the second wild card spot. The Houston Astros are also right there in the mix, so it could go down to the wire. An A.L. Central title isn’t out of the realm of possibility as Detroit sits four games back of the Cleveland Indians.
After back-to-back World Series appearances, including last year’s title, Kansas City is just 55-59 on the season as its offense has struggled badly. The Royals will be reduced to the role of spoiler the rest of the way despite having grand ambitions of making another deep playoff run when the season started.
PROBABLE PITCHERS
The Royals are scheduled to send right-hander Ian Kennedy to the mound. He is 6-9 on the season with a 3.91 ERA and a WHIP of 1.20. Kennedy has been pretty solid all season long and is a dependable arm in the middle of a rotation.
The Tigers will counter with Daniel Norris, who was recently recalled from Triple-A and is 1-0 with a 4.00 ERA on the season. Norris has bounced between the minors and majors in the past couple of years and isn’t an established starter. However, he does get a good matchup against the Royals offense.
LIVE BETTING
Kansas City has scored the fewest runs in the American League in 2016. The team was hurt by a collision involving third baseman Mike Moustakas and outfielder Alex Gordon, which put Moustakas out for the year and Gordon out for a significant length of time. Eric Hosmer is leading the way this season with a .278 average, 15 homers and 64 RBIs. Salvador Perez is batting .263 with 16 homers and 48 RBIs, while Kendry Morales and Lorenzo Cain have been solid contributors. However, there has been no superstar in the lineup, and the usual depth has been compromised because of injuries.
The Tigers have a much more potent lineup. It is led by Miguel Cabrera, who is batting .308 with 26 homers and 76 RBIs. Victor Martinez has had a resurgent season with a .305 average and 20 homers and 66 RBIs, while Ian Kinsler has added a .293 average with 21 homers and 92 RBIs. The Tigers haven’t gotten the season they have wanted from offseason addition Justin Upton, but he is notoriously streaky and hopes to turn it on down the stretch.
QUICK PICK
The Royals haven’t had the season they wanted but do send one of their most consistent pitchers to the mound. They’ll need Kennedy to have a nice outing, because the Detroit lineup is talented and deep. The Tigers need to play very well down the stretch in order to make the playoffs, and a nice outing from Norris would be clutch. He may do it because the Royals offense is not very potent, which could give Detroit the edge in MLB wagering.
MLB Odds: Tigers 5, Royals 3
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