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

Saturday, May 5, 2018

Kauffman Stadium

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jordan Zimmermann vs. Jason Hammel

The Detroit Tigers visit Kauffman Stadium on Saturday, May 5, 2018 to play the Kansas City Royals. The probable starters are Jordan Zimmermann for the Tigers and Jason Hammel for the Royals.

The opening line for this matchup has Detroit at +130 and Kansas City at -140. The Tigers have a 13-17-0 over/under record and a 16-14-0 run line mark. The Royals are 12-19-0 against the run line and have a 12-17-2 over/under record.

Valuable Detroit Tigers Betting Trends

The Detroit Tigers are 13-17-0 against the over/under

The Detroit Tigers are 16-14-0 against the run line

Important Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 12-17-2 against the over/under

The Kansas City Royals are 12-19-0 against the run line

Key Detroit Tigers Injuries

05/03/18 1B Miguel Cabrera Hamstring is "?" Friday vs Kansas City Royals
05/03/18 DH Victor Martinez Ankle is "?" Friday 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 13-17 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann has a 1-0 record with an earned run average of 5.81 and a WHIP of 1.37 this season. He has 27 strikeouts over his 26.1 innings pitched and he's given up 30 hits. He's allowed 10.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.29. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.69 and they have given up 113 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .256 against the bullpen and they've struck out 104 hitters and walked 51 batters. As a team, Detroit allows 8.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.5 batters per nine innings. They are 17th in the league in team earned run average at 4.26. The Tigers pitchers collectively have given up 264 base hits and 128 earned runs. They have allowed 37 home runs this season, ranking them 11th in the league. Detroit as a pitching staff has walked 99 batters and struck out 226. They have walked 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.5 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.34 and their FIP as a unit is 4.50.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Detroit is hitting .253, good for 7th in the league. The Tigers hold a .407 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .314, which is good for 20th in baseball. They rank 4th in MLB with 8.9 hits per game. Nicholas Castellanos is hitting .309 with an on-base percentage of .361. He has 38 hits this season in 123 at bats with 20 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .472 and an OPS+ of 123. Jeimer Candelario is hitting .283 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .358. He has totaled 34 hits and he has driven in 14 men in 120 at bats. His OPS+ is 131 while his slugging percentage is at .508. The Tigers have 267 hits, including 67 doubles and 25 home runs. Detroit has walked 86 times so far this season and they have struck out 231 times as a unit. They have left 213 men on base and have a team OPS of .721. They score 4.5 runs per contest and have scored a total of 135 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Kansas City has a 9-22 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.91, Jason Hammel has a 0-3 record and a 1.31 WHIP. He has 19 strikeouts over the 36.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 36 hits. He's allowing 8.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.2. The bullpen has an earned run average of 6.07 and they have given up 117 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .284 against the Royals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 73 batters and walked 43 opposing hitters. As a team, Kansas City allows 9.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 6.9 batters per nine innings. They are 30th in the league in team earned run average at 5.31. The Royals pitchers as a team have surrendered 297 base knocks and 164 earned runs this season. They have given up 44 home runs this year, which ranks 4th in Major League Baseball. Kansas City as a staff has walked 98 hitters and struck out 213 batters. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 6.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.42 while their FIP as a staff is 4.92.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .253, good for 8th in the league. The Royals hold a .384 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .321, which is good for 14th in baseball. They rank 7th in MLB with 8.8 hits per contest. Whit Merrifield comes into this matchup batting .250 with an OBP of .324. He has 31 hits this year along with 10 RBI in 124 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .371 with an OPS+ of 89. Mike Moustakas is hitting .298 this season and he has an OBP of .333. He has collected 37 hits in 124 at bats while driving in 20 runs. He has an OPS+ of 139 and a slugging percentage of .565. The Royals as a unit have 272 base hits, including 52 doubles and 28 homers. Kansas City has walked 94 times this year and they have struck out on 225 occasions. They have had 236 men left on base and have an OPS of .706. They have scored 3.74 runs per game and totaled 116 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Tigers +130

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