Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals 5/3/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Thursday, May 3, 2018

Kauffman Stadium

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Mike Fiers vs. Eric Skoglund

Kauffman Stadium is the site of the matchup between the Detroit Tigers and the Kansas City Royals on Thursday, May 3, 2018. The probable starting pitchers are Mike Fiers for the Tigers and Eric Skoglund for the Royals.

Detroit opens at +115 while Kansas City opens at -125. The Tigers have a 12-16-0 over/under record and a 15-13-0 run line mark. The Royals are 10-19-0 against the run line and have a 11-16-2 over/under record.

Valuable Detroit Tigers Betting Trends

The Detroit Tigers are 12-16-0 against the over/under

The Detroit Tigers are 15-13-0 against the run line

Important Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 11-16-2 against the over/under

The Kansas City Royals are 10-19-0 against the run line

Key Detroit Tigers Injuries

05/01/18 1B Miguel Cabrera Biceps is "?" Wednesday vs Tampa Bay Rays
04/30/18 P Daniel Norris Groin 10-day DL (04/30)

Key Kansas City Royals Injuries

05/01/18 3B Mike Moustakas Arm is "?" Wednesday vs Boston Red Sox
04/25/18 P Justin Grimm Back 10-day DL (04/22)
03/30/18 P Nathan Karns Elbow 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 CF Bubba Starling Oblique 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Jesse Hahn Elbow 60-day DL (03/06)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Tigers have a 12-16 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Mike Fiers has a 2-2 record with an earned run average of 3.91 and a WHIP of 1.26 this year. He has 15 strikeouts over his 23 innings pitched and he's given up 25 hits. He's allowed 9.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.78. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.70 and they have given up 104 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .257 against the bullpen and they've struck out 95 hitters and walked 47 batters. As a team, Detroit allows 8.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.6 batters per nine innings. They are 17th in the league in team earned run average at 4.17. The Tigers pitchers collectively have given up 243 base hits and 116 earned runs. They have allowed 34 home runs this season, ranking them 14th in the league. Detroit as a pitching staff has walked 92 batters and struck out 211. They have walked 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.34 and their FIP as a unit is 4.46.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Detroit is hitting .250, good for 9th in the league. The Tigers hold a .404 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .313, which is good for 21st in baseball. They rank 8th in MLB with 8.7 hits per game. Miguel Cabrera is hitting .326 with an on-base percentage of .413. He has 29 hits this season in 89 at bats with 21 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .528 and an OPS+ of 153. Nicholas Castellanos is hitting .310 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .366. He has totaled 35 hits and he has driven in 18 men in 113 at bats. His OPS+ is 122 while his slugging percentage is at .460. The Tigers have 243 hits, including 63 doubles and 23 home runs. Detroit has walked 82 times so far this season and they have struck out 212 times as a unit. They have left 196 men on base and have a team OPS of .717. They score 4.5 runs per contest and have scored a total of 126 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Kansas City has a 8-21 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 6.23, Eric Skoglund has a 1-2 record and a 1.20 WHIP this season. He has 19 strikeouts over the 21.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 20 hits. He allows 8.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.6. The bullpen has an earned run average of 6.33 and they have given up 110 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .283 against the Royals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 68 batters and walked 43 opposing hitters. As a team, Kansas City allows 9.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 6.8 batters per nine innings. They are 28th in the league in team earned run average at 5.28. The Royals pitchers as a team have surrendered 272 base knocks and 153 earned runs this season. They have given up 39 home runs this year, which ranks 6th in Major League Baseball. Kansas City as a staff has walked 94 hitters and struck out 196 batters. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 6.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.40 while their FIP as a staff is 4.85.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .247, good for 10th in the league. The Royals hold a .371 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .317, which is good for 18th in baseball. They rank 11th in MLB with 8.6 hits per contest. Mike Moustakas comes into this matchup batting .299 with an OBP of .333. He has 35 hits this year along with 19 RBI in 117 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .573 with an OPS+ of 142. Whit Merrifield is hitting .261 this season and he has an OBP of .333. He has collected 30 hits in 115 at bats while driving in 10 runs. He has an OPS+ of 98 and a slugging percentage of .391. The Royals as a unit have 249 base hits, including 47 doubles and 24 homers. Kansas City has walked 89 times this year and they have struck out on 211 occasions. They have had 224 men left on base and have an OPS of .688. They have scored 3.52 runs per game and totaled 102 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Tigers/Royals MLB game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Royals -125

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Guy Bruhn