This is about as close as the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals are going to get to a World Series in a few years. The two teams fighting to stay out of the basement in the AL Central will play the final game of their three-game set at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha ahead of the 2019 College World Series. It will also be the first MLB game ever played in the state of Nebraska. Just because the teams have combined for 44 wins entering the series doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty of wagering opportunities.
This MLB game between the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals will be held at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska, at 8:05 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 13, 2019. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN.
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Odds Analysis
Wins have been hard to come by for both teams, but that was expected as they are both undergoing major rebuilds. The Tigers come in having lost their last three series going 3-6 in those games. They had a chance to win each of those series only to drop the finale every time. A 12-2 loss to the Twins on Sunday was the latest setback, though they played better against three potential playoff teams.
It’s been even more of a struggle for the Royals, who haven’t won a series since the third week of the season. They are 0-14-2 in 16 series since with a 15-35 record. They haven’t had much success against the Tigers, either, going 1-5 in six games, though all those contests took place in the Motor City. The teams will move to Omaha for the finale following a pair of games at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.
Probable Pitchers
The Tigers have a potential ace in Matthew Boyd ( 5-4, 3.08 ERA ) for when they do get back to contender status. He leads the staff in wins, innings pitched and strikeouts while boasting an impressive 1.04 WHIP. He allowed three earned on nine hits with a pair of homers in 7.0 innings in his last start and has surrendered three earned runs or fewer in 13 of his 14 starts.
Boyd struck out nine Royals over 7.0 innings of two-run ball in a May 3 victory. He’s also familiar with the mound at TD Ameritrade Park having pitched for Oregon in the CWS six years ago. He beat Indiana back then with a masterpiece four-hit, 11-strikeout shutout.
Homer Bailey ( 4-6, 5.90 ERA ) is eating innings until some of the younger arms in the KC system are ready to take over. And he’s not doing a very good job. But he has a spot since he’s cheap and willing to take the bump every five days. He leads the staff in wins, but he hasn’t gotten one in a month. He’s also trying to resurrect a career that’s been plagued by injuries, so if winning for the team isn’t important, doing it for himself sure is.
He had a strong outing Friday in a 6-4 win over the White Sox going six-plus innings and giving up seven hits and three runs, walking one and striking out three. He left with a two-run lead but took a ND. That was promising since he hadn’t gone more than 5.0 innings in any of his previous five starts. Bailey had a decent outing against Detroit earlier in the year allowing two earned on seven hits over 6.0 innings and getting the 15-3 win.
Live Betting
Boyd has started 15 games against the Royals over his career and his numbers aren’t great. He’s surrendered 95 hits over 72.0 innings and KC bats a robust .318 against him. One player who has done plenty of damage is Whit Merrifield. In 28 career ABs against Boyd, Merrifield is hitting .429 with 12 hits, four doubles and a triple. He didn’t get a hit in the first meeting this season, so Merrifield, who is batting close to .300, is due.
Free MLB ATS Picks
Both clubs struggle to score runs and their pitching stinks, so it’s hard to tell what kind of game we’re going to have. Boyd has been consistently good all season and as long as he doesn’t get burned by his nemesis Merrifield, he should get the better of KC’s weak lineup. The Tigers have a worse team batting average and score fewer runs per game, but I don’t think Bailey is going to silence them and the pen is weak. I can see runs scored in this one and the Tigers get more.
MLB Pick: Tigers 7, Royals 4
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