Detroit Tigers vs Kansas City Royals predictions

Kansas City snapped Detroit’s 7-game winning streak in the first game of this series, but the Tigers seem primed to bounce back on Saturday.  Casey Mize is one of the most promising young pitchers in all of baseball, and he has been solid over his 3 three starts.  He had one bad start against the Royals back on April 23, but he has posted 3 straight quality starts against Kansas City since then.  It seems likely that Detroit will continue to limit his pitch count, but the good news is that their bullpen has been among the best in baseball so far in the second half.  Entering Friday, Detroit relievers are posting an impressive 1.99 ERA and 0.88 WHIP since the break, and they are gaining confidence as a whole with each game.

Carlos Hernandez will take the mound for Kansas City, and he will be making just his second start this season.  He has primarily been used out of the bullpen, and he will most likely only pitch 2-3 innings.  Detroit’s offense has been hot, and they are posting an OPS of .784 so far in July.  On the other side, Kansas City’s offense has sputtered so far in July, and their OPS is nearly 100 points lower at .685.  The Tigers are 7-3 in their last ten meetings against the Royals, and despite last night’s loss, they are one of the hottest teams in baseball right now.  Back the Tigers.

With Mize on a pitch limit and Hernandez serving as an opener, it seems unlikely that either starting pitcher goes deep into this game.  However, this total seems a bit high.  Hernandez has faced the Tigers just once this season, but he tossed 3 scoreless innings and allowed just 2 hits. Mize has a 3.27 ERA and has issued just a single walk in his last 3 starts, and he has pitched well against Kansas City in his last 3 starts against them.  The Detroit bullpen is on an impressive run right now, and Kansas City’s offense has not been overly impressive recently.  With a high total like this, consider backing the under.

Under 10 available at time of publishing.  Playable at that number.