Five days after the Tigers took two of three games against the Royals at Comerica Park, the AL Central foes are back at it in the middle game of a three-game set. Kansas City increased its lead in the division to a season-high 11.5 games but is just a .500 team against the Tigers after the clubs split their first 10 games.
ODDS ANALYSIS
A visit from the White Sox over the weekend cured the Royals’ recent ills as they swept the series winning all three by one run. Kansas City improved to 6-2 in its last eight and 18-10 overall this season in games decided by a single run. The Royals are the most profitable team in the American League, up 20.59 units on the moneyline overall, thanks to their 37-18 home record that has them in the black 15.48 units.
Detroit is the AL’s best over play at 61-45-5 and the over is 3-0-1 in the Tigers’ last four games. The team’s easily cashed the over in the last meeting when KC’s Yordano Ventura faced Detroit’s Anibal Sanchez, as the two starters allowed 10 of the game’s 14 runs. Sanchez has been on a run playing above the scoreline with the over at 7-0-2 in his last nine starts.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Anibal Sanchez (10-9, 4.82 ERA) was touched for five hits, including a home run, and four runs against the Royals in his last start. He can’t shake the home run bug, but he can pitch around it if he limits his baserunners. Unfortunately he didn’t do that against the Royals on Thursday and he paid for four walks, one with the bases loaded, in a do decision. Sanchez has surrendered six homers in his last four starts and 25 on the season.
In three starts against the Royals this season Sanchez has a 5.59 ERA over 19.1 innings and has issued eight free passes. He picked up a win at KC giving up four hits and three runs in 7.1 innings on May 3.
Yordano Ventura (6-7, 5.29 ERA) also took a no-decision when he was matched with Sanchez on Thursday. He had a rough stay on the mound, giving up eight hits and six runs in five innings in an 8-6 loss. “He just had a bad game,” manager Ned Yost said of Ventura. “It happens.” Ventura has dealt with inconsistency and injuries, and although he remains a talented arm, it’s hard to imagine him suddenly turning things around.
Ventura hasn’t fooled the Tigers this season allowing 16 hits and 10 runs in 11 innings. Detroit is hitting .356 off him but have yet to tag him with a loss.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“It’s been very difficult. This is one of the first years where I’ve gone through a struggle and haven’t been able to get hitters out as consistently as I’m used to. It’s been tough. I’m just trying to find ways to improve and do things better that aren’t working out.” – Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura on his season struggles
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
Royals’ reliever Wade Davis has been unavailable for the past few days because of back stiffness. Davis, who is 7-1 with a 0.59 ERA in 47 appearances, has not pitched since Thursday when he tossed a scoreless inning against the Tigers in Detroit. The injury is not considered serious and Davis could probably pitch through the pain, however, with a big lead in the division, manager Ned Yost can afford to rest Davis and wait until he is 100 percent. “We want to make sure we don’t do anything crazy with Wade. So we give him the time to get all that stiffness out of there so that he can maintain his normal delivery and not create problems in his shoulder or elbow,” Yost said. Davis is feeling better and it’s likely he gets some work against the Tigers regardless of the game situation.
PROP TALK
Royals starter Yordano Ventura hasn’t fooled many Tigers hitters this season and one in particular that has his number is Victor Martinez, who homered off the young righty in each of his last two at-bats when the team’s squared off on Aug. 6 in Detroit. Though the usual Martinez numbers haven’t been there this season, he homered three times in a four-game stretch that began with his two-homer game against Ventura and the Royals. He hits .500 off Ventura with four hits in eight lifetime at-bats and is a career .305 hitter at Kauffman Stadium. Detroit has 16 hits off Ventura in 45 at-bats this season for a robust .356 average.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The Royals have such a big lead in the AL Central winning the division is merely a formality. That allows the coaching staff to work out a lot of issues down the stretch. One is handling the injury of bullpen ace Wade Davis and others that will pop up. Another is working on the mechanics of Yordano Ventura, who has battled all season. The talent is there but the results haven’t been, though he did toss a gem the last time he took the Kauffman Stadium hill. As much as the Tigers say they haven’t cashed it in this season, they have. KC moves closer to its first division title since 1985.
Kansas City 7, Detroit 4
BookMaker will be the first online sportsbook to send out the baseball odds for this marquee matchup. BookMaker is going to have multiple betting options available for this nationally-televised baseball matchup. Live wagering during commercials offers an adjusted moneyline, individual inning run totals and next hitter results. Log in and start gambling during the game now!
Need to fund your account before the big game but don’t have your computer? No problem, BookMaker Sportsbook now offers a mobile betting cashier so you can deposit money directly from your smartphone. Don’t miss out on getting paid because you couldn’t bet, click here and deposit at BookMaker now! The ballgame between the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals will take place Tuesday, August 11, 2015, at 8:10 p.m. ET at Kauffman Stadium. You can watch the contest live on the MLB Network.
