Kansas City Royals vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction, 5/17/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Kansas City Royals vs St. Louis Cardinals

Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026

Location: Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO

TV: Cardinals.TV

Odds/Point Spread: Kansas City (-122) St. Louis (+102)

The St. Louis Cardinals (25-18) are hosting the Kansas City Royals (19-25) at Busch Stadium on Sunday. The line on this matchup has the Royals at -122 while the Cardinals open at +102. The betting total comes in at 8. The starting pitchers are Stephen Kolek and Andre Pallante.

As a squad, the Kansas City Royals are putting up 4.1 runs per game, which puts them at 25th in baseball. They have earned 181 runs and have an on-base percentage of .319. The Royals have accrued 72 two-baggers as a squad and have hit 44 balls out of the stadium. They have amassed 174 runs batted in in addition to 348 hits so far this year, while their team batting average sits at .240. Kansas City has a slugging rate of .389 and have been called out on strikes 360 times, while drawing a walk on 156 occasions.

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The Royals hold a team earned run average of 4.43 for the year (22nd in the league), and the staff has struck out 373 batters. Royals pitchers have conceded 49 home runs in addition to 201 total runs (21st in baseball). They have walked 191 batters and their FIP comes in at 4.37 as a unit this season. Kansas City has allowed 344 base knocks (8.0 per 9 innings) and also 191 earned runs. Their strikeout to walk ratio is 1.95 and their pitching staff has earned a collective WHIP of 1.38.

Royals relief pitchers have come into the game with runners on base 28 times and also have had 42 appearances in high leverage situations. The relief pitchers are sitting with 19 holds for the season (23rd in baseball). The Royals bullpen have a save rate of 65.0% and stepped onto the hill in 39 save situations. They have tallied 13 saves so far this season and have blown 7 of 20 chances to save the game. The relief pitchers have inherited 34 runners on the year with 26.5% of those players ended up scoring. The Royals have sent 137 relievers to the mound this year.

The Kansas City Royals have earned a total of 1,165 putouts at this point in the season, in addition to 367 assists and 16 errors. Their fielding rate is at .990 which has them ranked 5th in pro baseball, and they have turned 35 double plays. The Royals have turned 70.7% of balls in play into outs out of their 3,495 innings on the field, ranking them 12th in the majors.

Kolek (9-7 record in his career) holds a FIP of 4.14 and he has gone up against 717 batters in the major leagues. He has surrendered 166 hits (8.8 hits per nine innings) and has 46 walks. His ERA is 4.20 (79 ER's allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.252. Kolek has taken the hill for 169 frames and has tallied 125 strikeouts thus far in his career.

St. Louis has recorded 49 long balls so far this year as well as 193 RBIs. They have 66 doubles, while getting a free base 150 times as well as scoring 199 runs. The St. Louis Cardinals have accounted for an on-base percentage of .321 in addition to a batting average of .240 for the year. The Cardinals hold a slugging % of .390 and they score 4.63 runs per contest (9th in the league). They have been rung up on 356 occasions (21st in the league) and have totaled 347 base hits.

The Cardinals have a WHIP of 1.378 with a FIP of 4.49 as a team so far this season. They have a ranking of 22nd in baseball as a pitching staff in total hits given up with 371. The St. Louis pitching staff have allowed 197 runs this year while holding an ERA of 4.29 (184 earned runs surrendered). Their strikeout to walk ratio sits at 7.30 (312 strikeouts against 161 bases on balls). They have conceded 47 homers and they concede 4.59 runs per 9 innings (19th in MLB).

They sit at 12th in MLB holding a save rate of 66.7%, and they have dispatched 154 bullpen pitchers to the hill for the year. Their relievers have stepped onto the hill 55 times in high leverage situations and on 43 occasions with runners on. Sitting with 65 save situations, the Cardinals have amassed 39 holds and 8 blown saves. St. Louis has called on relievers to enter the contest in 24 save chances and they have walked away with 16 saves. St. Louis relief pitchers have an inherited score percentage of 39.7% out of their 63 inherited runners.

The St. Louis Cardinals have gotten 44 double plays and have a fielding rate of .988 (12th in the majors). The Cardinals have racked up 425 assists, 20 errors and have accounted for 1,159 putouts on the season. In 3,477 innings played, the Cardinals have accumulated a defensive efficiency of 70.0% (16th in the majors).

So far in his MLB career, Pallante has allowed 511 base hits while he has earned 354 strikeouts in 502 innings pitched. Pallante (28-32 win-loss record in his career) is the owner of a 4.34 ERA while conceding 9.2 hits per 9 innings. He has conceded 242 ER's while earning a WHIP of 1.414 and having a FIP of 4.3. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 1.78 and he has gone up against 2,169 opposing hitters in his MLB career.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Kansas City (-122)

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