Odds courtesy of TonyBet.
Royals vs Cardinals Odds
The Royals are a slim -125 favorite here at MLB betting sites. The Cardinals come back at -103, while the O/U in runs is set at 8.5.
This is the fourth meeting so far this season, with the Cards taking two out of three last month from Kansas City.
Royals vs Cardinals Analysis
It’s been a very disappointing season so far for a Royals ball club who have playoff aspirations. They’re currently in dead last in the American League Central with a 30-45 record, and Kansas City has gone just 4-6 in their last 10 contests. The Nats just took two out of three from them. The Royals have been poor offensively, ranking near the bottom of the Majors in numerous categories, including 25th in runs, with just 4.0 per contest. On the mound, it hasn’t been much better, sporting a 4.51 ERA overall.
KC will be hoping Noah Cameron can give them a quality outing here. The left-hander owns a 3-4 record and 4.11 ERA across 13 starts, striking out 64 in 70 innings against just 17 walks. While Cameron did allow four earned runs in his last appearance, the southpaw was on a solid run before that, giving up just one earned run across his previous two outings. He surrendered three earned to the Cardinals on May 16.
The Cardinals may be young, but they’re definitely a dark horse out of the National League Central. St. Louis is in second place in the division and looks to be a team who could very well make the postseason as a Wild Card, at the very least. They’re a top-10 offensive team, led by the contributions from Alec Burleson, Jordan Walker, and JJ Wetherholt.
Matthew Liberatore gets the call in the series opener, but he doesn’t come into this one in the best form. The big left-hander has allowed four home runs across his last two starts while also surrendering seven earned runs during that span. But the Royals aren’t exactly flourishing offensively, and even if they do score some runs off him, the Cardinals clearly have the ability to give Liberatore some run support.
Royals vs Cardinals Picks
St. Louis has won two of the last three on the road against the Royals, and they’re 19-15 on the road compared to Kansas City’s 17-21 record at home. The Royals are also hitting just .241 against lefties with a .120 ISO. Liberatore will keep them at bay, and the Cards will score enough runs to win.
Pick: Cardinals -103/TonyBet
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