The Detroit Tigers (22-32) and Kansas City Royals (23-33) kick off a four-game set Thursday at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City with first pitch scheduled for 8:05 p.m. ET (on FOX Sports 1). We analyze the Tigers-Royals MLB betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Tigers at Royals: Projected starting pitchers
RHP Michael Fulmer vs. LHP Kris Bubic
Fulmer will make his final start of the season, and the campaign cannot end quick enough for him. He is 0-2 with an 8.17 ERA and 1.97 WHIP with 20 strikeouts across 25 1/3 innings in his nine previous outings.
- Fulmer has served up seven homers, which isn’t awful, but he has also issued 38 hits and 12 walks in his 25 1/3 innings, as he has just been terrible with his location.
- Fulmer hasn’t faced the Royals since July 27. He allowed four earned runs, five hits and a walk with two strikeouts in just 2 2/3 innings in a no-decision. And three of the seven homers he has allowed this season came in that outing.
Also see: BaseballHQ Fantasy Baseball
Bubic has a poor 1-6 record, but a respectable 3.97 ERA and 1.39 WHIP, with 44 strikeouts across 45 1/3 innings in nine starts.
- Bubic hasn’t allowed a homer in four of his past five starts, and he has allowed two or fewer earned runs in three of his previous four outings, yet he has just one win to show for his efforts.
- The Royals have scored a total of 22 runs in his nine starts this season, or an average of just 2.45 runs per outing.
Get some action on this game or any other matchup with an MLB bet at BetMGM in NJ, IN, CO and WV. Bet now!
Tigers at Royals: Key injuries
(List of injuries around the league)
Tigers
- 2B Jonathan Schoop (hamstring) out
Royals
- OF Bubba Starling (back) out
Tigers at Royals: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 7:45 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Royals 8, Tigers 3
Money line (ML)
The ROYALS (-150) are a little on the expensive side, not because the bet is expensive, but because it is the Royals. They’re just one game ahead of the Tigers in the standings, and neither will be playing baseball after this weekend. However, Bubic has been at least respectable, as he just hasn’t gotten any offensive support. Fulmer has been a trainwreck, and that’s why you’re backing K.C. here.
New to sports betting? A winning $15 bet on Kansas City returns a profit of $10.
Run line/Against the spread (ATS)
The ROYALS (-1.5, +125) are definitely worth a roll of the dice to win by more than two runs, as Fulmer has been serving batting practice this season. Even Kansas City will be able to slap him around.
Over/Under (O/U)
OVER 9.5 (-110) is the lean in this AL Central battle, even though it is not usual for the Royals to score big runs when Bubic is on the mound. It’s uncanny, actually, as they have failed to give him much support. But it would be shocking if Fulmer didn’t allow a ton of runs here.
Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.
Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1372]