Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals 5/4/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Friday, May 4, 2018

Kauffman Stadium

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Francisco Liriano vs. Ian Kennedy

The Detroit Tigers visit Kauffman Stadium on Friday, May 4, 2018 to play the Kansas City Royals. The probable starters are Francisco Liriano for the Tigers and Ian Kennedy for the Royals.

The opening line for this matchup has Detroit at +110 and Kansas City at -120. The Tigers have a 12-17-0 over/under record and a 16-13-0 run line mark. The Royals are 11-19-0 against the run line and have a 11-17-2 over/under record.

Valuable Detroit Tigers Betting Trends

The Detroit Tigers are 12-17-0 against the over/under

The Detroit Tigers are 16-13-0 against the run line

Important Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 11-17-2 against the over/under

The Kansas City Royals are 11-19-0 against the run line

Key Detroit Tigers Injuries

05/02/18 1B Miguel Cabrera Biceps is "?" Thursday vs Kansas City Royals
04/30/18 P Daniel Norris Groin 10-day DL (04/30)

Key Kansas City Royals Injuries

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 13-16 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Francisco Liriano has a 3-1 record with an earned run average of 3.38 and a WHIP of 1.16 this season. He has 21 strikeouts over his 29.1 innings pitched and he's given up 20 hits. He's allowed 6.1 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.49. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.45 and they have given up 106 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .251 against the bullpen and they've struck out 101 hitters and walked 49 batters. As a team, Detroit allows 8.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.6 batters per nine innings. They are 15th in the league in team earned run average at 4.05. The Tigers pitchers collectively have given up 251 base hits and 118 earned runs. They have allowed 34 home runs this season, ranking them 14th in the league. Detroit as a pitching staff has walked 96 batters and struck out 222. They have walked 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.32 and their FIP as a unit is 4.36.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Detroit is hitting .249, good for 9th in the league. The Tigers hold a .403 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .311, which is good for 21st in baseball. They rank 8th in MLB with 8.7 hits per game. Jeimer Candelario is hitting .287 with an on-base percentage of .364. He has 33 hits this season in 115 at bats with 12 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .513 and an OPS+ of 135. Nicholas Castellanos is hitting .297 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .352. He has totaled 35 hits and he has driven in 18 men in 118 at bats. His OPS+ is 114 while his slugging percentage is at .441. The Tigers have 252 hits, including 64 doubles and 24 home runs. Detroit has walked 83 times so far this season and they have struck out 220 times as a unit. They have left 202 men on base and have a team OPS of .713. They score 4.45 runs per contest and have scored a total of 129 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Kansas City has a 8-22 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.48, Ian Kennedy has a 1-3 record and a 1.42 WHIP. He has 28 strikeouts over the 31 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 34 hits. He's allowing 9.9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.99. The bullpen has an earned run average of 6.24 and they have given up 110 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .280 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 29th in the league in team earned run average at 5.29. The Royals pitchers as a team have surrendered 282 base knocks and 158 earned runs this season. They have given up 43 home runs this year, which ranks 3rd in Major League Baseball. Kansas City as a staff has walked 95 hitters and struck out 202 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 4.95.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .249, good for 10th in the league. The Royals hold a .375 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .318, which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 9th in MLB with 8.6 hits per contest. Mike Moustakas comes into this matchup batting .298 with an OBP of .331. He has 36 hits this year along with 19 RBI in 121 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .562 with an OPS+ of 138. Whit Merrifield is hitting .252 this season and he has an OBP of .328. He has collected 30 hits in 119 at bats while driving in 10 runs. He has an OPS+ of 93 and a slugging percentage of .378. The Royals as a unit have 259 base hits, including 50 doubles and 25 homers. Kansas City has walked 91 times this year and they have struck out on 221 occasions. They have had 230 men left on base and have an OPS of .693. They have scored 3.53 runs per game and totaled 106 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Tigers +110

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