Kansas City Royals vs Detroit Tigers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/02/2024

Game Time: 6:40 pm ET, Friday, August 2, 2024

Venue:  Comerica Park, Detroit, MI 

Where to Watch:  Apple TV+

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Royals +105, Tigers -125; Over/Under:  7 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Royals +105, Tigers -125; Over/Under:  7 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Royals +105, Tigers -125; Over/Under:  7 runs

Kansas City Royals:  60-49 (3rd place, AL Central)

Detroit Tigers:  52-57 (4th place, AL Central)

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Kansas City Royals:  6-4 last 10

Detroit Tigers:  3-7 last 10

The Royals are entering this series off a win and completed the sweep in their 3-game series against the Chicago White Sox 3-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 60-49 record overall and have a road record of 24-27. This is the 2nd game of a 4-game series with the Tigers on Friday with the series opener of this series still to be played on Thursday. Their offense ranks 12th in the MLB with a .722 OPS. Seth Lugo is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Cole Ragans is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 7-7 with a 3.37 ERA this season. His team won 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 4 ER, 0 HR, and 1 BB with 7 Ks on 8 hits through 5.2 IP against the Chicago Cubs.

The Tigers are entering this series off a loss and got swept in their 2-game series against the Cleveland Guardians 2-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 52-57 record overall and have a home record of 25-28. This is the 2nd game of a 4-game series with the Royals on Friday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Thursday. Their offense ranks 26th in the MLB with a .679 OPS. Rookie pitcher Keider Montero is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Tarik Skubal is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 12-3 with a 2.35 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 earned runs, 1 homer, and 2 BB with 8 strikeouts on 5 hits through 7 innings played against the Minnesota Twins.

The current betting odds have the Tigers listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Royals have looked good in their games this season with their 60-49 record overall which has them in 3rd place of the AL Central and fighting for a Wild Card spot. They haven't looked good in their road games though, going 24-27 in those this season. Meanwhile, the Tigers haven't looked great in their games this season with their 52-57 record overall which has them in 4th place of the AL Central and out of the playoff race. They haven't looked any better in their home games either with their 25-28 home record. The Tigers haven't looked good in their games lately with their 3-7 record in their last 10 games, but this is a pitching matchup they can take advantage of at home. They are going to have Skubal on the mound here and he has been their stud this season, leading the starting rotation in wins. He is 12-3 with a 2.35 ERA and hasn't been giving up many runs in his starts lately. He gave up 2 earned runs in his last start which has been a common theme for him this year, and the team has won 2 games in a row with him starting too. He has been their best starter by far and the team will bring their best effort to offer some run support in this one. Ragans is on the mound for the Royals and he hasn't looked bad this season, but he hasn't been nearly as good as Skubal has been. Ragans is 7-7 with a 3.37 ERA and has been giving up more runs lately. He gave up 4 earned runs in his last start and that was also against a weaker Cubs offense. The Tigers haven't been hitting great lately, but they will be able to put up some runs in this one, and their pitching staff has been really good at home this season too. The best way to place a bet here is on the Tigers to win this game. 

Royals Tigers Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, August 2, 2024 (6:40 pm ET start time) is Tigers 3 Royals 1.

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Kansas City Royals: 8-2 (+6.25 units) on the moneyline in their last 10 away games. 62-44 (+11.24 units) on the runline in their last 106 games. 26-15 to the under in their last 41 games. 

Detroit Tigers: 26-42 (-9.40 units) on the first 5 moneyline in their last 68 games. 47-58 (-16.20 units) on the first 5 runline in their last 105 games. 5-0 to the under with their first 5 team total in their last 5 games. 

Kansas City Royals:  J. Schreiber (RP) Out indefinitely - Knee. D. Altavilla (RP) Mid Sep - Oblique. K. Wright (SP) out for season - Shoulder. J. Taylor (RP) Late June - Bicep.

Detroit Tigers:  C. Mize (SP) Out indefinitely - Leg. J. Baez (SS) Out indefinitely - Personal. R. Greene (CF) Out indefinitely - Hamstring. R. Olson (RP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. K. Carpenter (RF) Out indefinitely - Back. P. Meadows (CF) Out indefinitely - Hamstring. S. Gipson-Long (SP) out for season - Elbow.

“That's why they are the heart of the order. That's what we need from them and they know that. When they're driving in runs and getting on base, we're a deep lineup.” - Matt Quatraro after his team’s win against the White Sox in their game on Wednesday.

“I'm just ready for it to be over. We're all tired of talking about it.” - A.J. Hinch after his team’s loss against the Guardians in their game on Tuesday.

M Garcia (R) 2B

B Witt Jr. (R) SS

V Pasquantino (L) 1B

S Perez (R) C

H Renfroe (R) RF

M Melendez (L) LF

P DeJong (R) 3B

F Fermin (R) DH

K Isbel (L) CF

M Vierling (R) CF

C Keith (L) DH

J Malloy (R) LF

W Pérez (S) RF

B Madris (L) 1B

A Ibáñez (R) 2B

G Urshela (R) 3B

Z McKinstry (L) SS

J Rogers (R) C

Batting Average:  Bobby Witt (.349)

Hits:  Bobby Witt (151)

Home Runs:  Salvador Perez (19)

RBI:  Bobby Witt (76)

Stolen Bases:  Maikel Garcia (25)

Wins:  Seth Lugo (12)

Saves:  James McArthur (18)

ERA:  Jordan Lyles (0.00)

Batting Average:  Bligh Madris (.346)

Hits:  Riley Greene (98)

Home Runs:  Riley Greene (17)

RBI:  Riley Greene (51)

Stolen Bases:  Wenceel Pérez (9)

Wins:  Tarik Skubal (12)

Saves:  Jason Foley (15)

ERA:  Tarik Skubal (2.35)

Managers:

Kansas City Royals: Matt Quatraro (2nd season)

Detroit Tigers: A.J. Hinch (4th season)