Tigers vs Royals Predictions, Game Preview, Live Stream, Odds & Picks
AL Central Foes Continue Four-Game Set
Royals on Skid
The Detroit Tigers had no problem contributing to the Kansas City Royals recent misery, handing them a 4-2 defeat on Thursday at Kauffman Stadium. It was the fourth straight loss for KC, making them a tough call for MLB predictions in game two of the series on Friday.
A win here would get Detroit (3-4) to .500 on the year while the Royals (2-4) are trying to climb out of the AL Central basement.
Let’s check the latest MLB Picks, stats, injury reports, and MLB Odds for Tigers vs Royals. We’ve plenty of MLB Predictions.
Milestone Coming for Miggy?
Miguel Cabrera went 3-for-4 in Thursday’s series opener, bringing his season average to .318 while also getting closer to 3,000 hits. Cabrera now sits at 2,994 hits in his quest to become the 33rd player in MLB history to get to the magical number, something he could reach over the weekend in Kansas City.
Thursday’s win was huge for Detroit as it was its first road contest of the season. Schedule-makers gave the Tigers six straight home games to begin the season, but also against the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox. Detroit was just 8-11 vs. the Royals last season.
The Tigers are the underdogs in Friday’s MLB lines, could that partially be due to Tarik Skuball being on the hill? He gave up four earned in four innings pitched in a 10-1 loss to the White Sox last week and his season ERA sits at 9.00. Skubal had planned to utilize his changeup more in 2022, but that plan may already be scrapped.
Test Two for Keller
The Kansas City Royals would seem to have the pitching edge in Friday’s MLB betting lines with Brad Keller getting his second start of the season. Keller threw six innings of two-hit, shutout ball in his first outing and Kansas City needed it in a 1-0 victory over Cleveland. Keller was 8-12 with a career-high 5.39 ERA last season.
The Royals need to stop this slide as Thursday’s loss was their fourth straight. That includes some pretty bad beats, including 17-3 and 10-7 defeats to Cleveland and falling 6-5 in St. Louis in what ended up being a one-game series due to a weather postponement.
Aside from Andrew Benintendi (.381) and Hunter Dozier (.316), the bats that the Royals are relying on to carry them are struggling so far. Top prospect Bobby Witt, Jr. had a game-winning hit on Opening Day, but is just 3-for-24 (.125) overall. Salvador Perez (.167) and Whit Merrifield (.200) are also slow getting out of the gate.
Tigers vs Royals Head-to-Head
Thursday’s Detroit win drew the teams to an even 5-5 against each other in the last 10 games. Kansas City has won five of the last seven head-to-head matchups, however.
Tigers vs Royals Game Information
- Game: Tigers (3-4) vs Royals (2-4)
- Location: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO
- Day/Time: Friday, April 15th, 8:10 p.m. ET
- Streaming: MLB.tv
Tigers vs Royals Betting Lines
Tigers vs Royals Prediction
Keller looked good in his first outing of the season, but Cabrera is also hitting over .400 (7-for-17) in his career against the Kansas City starter. The big problem with the Tigers could be some injuries as Javy Baez (thumb) and Robbie Grossman (groin) both missed the series opener.
Kansas City is healthy, but its big bats like Merrifield and Perez are struggling. Ultimately, though, these two teams are pretty evenly matched and the Royals tie up the series in Thursday’s MLB betting picks and predictions.
