Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals Expert MLB Picks 9/4/2019

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Kauffman Stadium

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Edwin Jackson vs. Jakob Junis

Hunter Dozier and the Kansas City Royals (49-89, 4th in AL Central) host the Detroit Tigers (40-95, 5th in AL Central) at Kauffman Stadium on Wednesday, September 4, 2019. The Tigers open this contest at +174 while the Royals are coming in at -185. The O/U is set at 10.

The Tigers have been less than ideal for MLB wagerers, having gone 40-95-0 SU. The Royals are covering 35.5% of the time, going 49-89-0 straight up.

Valuable Detroit Tigers Betting Trends

The Tigers have been a solid Over pick for O/U MLB bettors, having gone 62-64-9.

Detroit covers 32.8% of the time as the visitor, having gone 22-45-0 straight up.

Important Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

Kansas City covers 37.7% of the time at Kauffman Stadium, going 26-43-0 SU.

The Royals have been a solid Over pick for O/U MLB bettors, having gone 68-64-6.

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Key Detroit Tigers Injuries

9/2/2019 John Hicks C Illness Probable for Sep 3
9/1/2019 JaCoby Jones CF Wrist Out for the season
8/28/2019 Niko Goodrum SS Groin Out for the season
8/14/2019 Blaine Hardy RP Elbow Out for the season
8/11/2019 Tyson Ross SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 11
4/30/2019 Matt Moore SP Knee Out for the season
3/23/2019 Michael Fulmer SP Elbow Out for the season
10/25/2019 Artie Lewicki RP Elbow Out for the season

Key Kansas City Royals Injuries

9/1/2019 Jesse Hahn SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 5
8/29/2019 Brad Keller SP Rest Out for the season
8/22/2019 Jake Newberry RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 3
8/16/2019 Trevor Oaks SP Hip Expected to be out until at least Sep 20
3/11/2019 Salvador Perez C Elbow Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Tigers have a 40-95 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Edwin Jackson has a 3-8 record with an earned run average of 9.35 and a WHIP of 1.98 this season. He has 39 strikeouts over his 52 innings pitched and he's given up 78 hits. He's allowed 13.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 7.53. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.00 and they have given up 537 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .261 against the bullpen and they've struck out 480 hitters and walked 240 batters. As a team, Detroit allows 9.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.5 batters per nine innings. They are 28th in the league in team earned run average at 5.19. The Tigers pitchers collectively have given up 1,290 base hits and 696 earned runs. They have allowed 214 home runs this season, ranking them 7th in the league. Detroit as a pitching staff has walked 456 batters and struck out 1,136. They have walked 3.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.5 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.45 and their FIP as a unit is 4.92.

Related: Get MLB predictions on all of today's games

Hitting Statistics

As a team Detroit is hitting .238, good for 29th in the league. The Tigers hold a .389 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .293, which is good for 30th in baseball. They rank 27th in MLB with 8.2 hits per game. Brandon Dixon is hitting .251 with an on-base percentage of .292. He has 86 hits this season in 342 at bats with 46 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .447 and an OPS+ of 90. Miguel Cabrera is hitting .283 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .344. He has totaled 123 hits and he has driven in 52 men in 435 at bats. His OPS+ is 95 while his slugging percentage is at .398. The Tigers have 1,113 hits, including 251 doubles and 128 home runs. Detroit has walked 336 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,362 times as a unit. They have left 902 men on base and have a team OPS of .682. They score 3.63 runs per contest and have scored a total of 494 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Kansas City has a 49-89 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.93, Jakob Junis has a 8-12 record and a 1.39 WHIP. He has 151 strikeouts over the 160.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 172 hits. He's allowing 9.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.78. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.03 and they have given up 509 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .271 against the Royals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 445 batters and walked 217 opposing hitters. As a team, Kansas City allows 9.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.8 batters per nine innings. They are 27th in the league in team earned run average at 5.15. The Royals pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,300 base knocks and 696 earned runs this season. They have given up 187 home runs this year, which ranks 16th in Major League Baseball. Kansas City as a staff has walked 491 hitters and struck out 1,051 batters. They give up a walk 3.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.47 while their FIP as a staff is 4.89.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .243, good for 25th in the league. The Royals hold a .397 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .307, which is good for 26th in baseball. They rank 24th in MLB with 8.3 hits per contest. Hunter Dozier comes into this matchup batting .280 with an OBP of .356. He has 121 hits this year along with 77 RBI in 432 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .542 with an OPS+ of 132. Whit Merrifield is hitting .299 this season and he has an OBP of .349. He has collected 173 hits in 578 at bats while driving in 69 runs. He has an OPS+ of 114 and a slugging percentage of .471. The Royals as a unit have 1,139 base hits, including 234 doubles and 139 homers. Kansas City has walked 392 times this year and they have struck out on 1,157 occasions. They have had 891 men left on base and have an OPS of .704. They have scored 4.26 runs per game and totaled 588 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Royals (-185)

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