The Kansas City Royals (27-47) take the field against the Detroit Tigers (29-45) Friday at Comerica Park in the 1st of a 3-game set. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the Royals vs. Tigers odds with MLB picks and predictions.
Season series: Detroit leads 2-1.0
KC snapped a 4-game losing skid by winning Wednesday’s finale against the Texas Rangers 2-1. The Royals are 10-10 over the last 20 games despite being without 2 of their cornerstones in C Salvador Perez (thumb) and SS Adalberto Mondesi (knee).
Detroit has won 3 of its last 5, and they’re a much better team at home with an 18-22 record. For a team last in the majors with 3.09 runs/9, Detroit has hit better recently. They’ve managed 5.3 runs per game in the last 10 games. These teams met in April with the Tigers winning 2 of 3 games.
Royals at Tigers projected starters
RHP Brad Keller vs. RHP Michael Pineda
Keller (2-9, 4.56 ERA) makes his 15th start. He has a 1.34 WHIP, 3.0 BB/9 and 5.8 K/9 in 79 IP.
- He threw 7 quality innings against Detroit in April, allowing 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB and 5 K.
- Has allowed 4 ER in 5 of his last 7 starts
- Current Tigers are hitting .241 with a .294 weighted on-base average in 129 plate appearances
Pineda (1-2, 3.22 ERA) makes his 6th start. He has a 1.08 WHIP, 1.6 BB/9 and 4.8 K/9 in 22 1/3 IP.
- First start since fracturing his middle finger in a start May 14
- He threw 68 pitches in his last rehab start June 26 for Triple-A Toledo and allowed 2 ER, 5 H, 1 BB and 2 K in 3 2/3 innings.
Royals at Tigers odds and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:01 p.m. ET.
- Money line (ML): Royals -103 (bet $103 to win $100) | Tigers -117 (bet $117 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Royals -1.5 (+155) | Tigers +1.5 (-190)
- Over/Under (O/U): 8.5 (O: +100 | U: -125)
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Royals at Tigers picks and predictions
Prediction
Tigers 5, Royals 3
Money line
This game has a lot of unpredictable factors. Keller has been very giving, but Detroit’s offense is the worst in baseball. How will Pineda fare in his first start off the IL? Two things we can key in on here are the Tigers are much tougher to put away at home and they have the 4th-best bullpen ERA in baseball at 3.17. The Royals are 27th at 4.63. LEAN TIGERS (-117).
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Run line/Against the spread
We’re going to stay away from the RL here as we can’t count on either team. What we can count on, though, is both starters allowing runs on the board. Keller has been giving up 4 on his own recently – so let’s take OVER 3.5 FIRST 5 INNNGS TOTAL RUNS (-170).
Over/Under
The Under is 23-7-1 in the last 31 meetings. The Under has cashed in 7 straight between the 2 teams. It’s just a lean because of the volatility at play here, but LEAN UNDER 8.5 (-125).
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