We are blessed with a classic AL Central rivalry tonight on Apple TV as the Detroit Tigers host the Kansas City Royals for some Friday Night action. This is game two of a four game weekend series for these two teams, with Kansas City picking up the win last night. The Royals sit in 2nd place of the division, 6 games behind the Guardians and just half a game ahead of the Twins who are in 3rd. Kansas City sits in the 2nd Wild Card position, 4 games behind the Yankees who could flip with the Orioles for 1st in the AL East.
The playoff races are heating up, and although the Tigers have a long way to climb, they won’t give up so easily. Even though they have lost 4 straight games and 7 of their L9, they have their ace on the mound, and he usually leads them to victory. In 21 starts, Skubal has a 12-3 record, and Detroit has won 14 of those contests. All three of his losses happened on the road, however one did come against the Royals. In that game, Skubal pitched 5 innings, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks with 6 strikeouts before he got pulled. This was back on May 22nd, and was Skubal’s 1st loss of the season.
However he also had a win against them as well on April 28th. In Detroit, Skubal pitched 7 electric innings allowing just 1 run on 4 hits while again, striking out 6 hitters. He is certainly more comfortable at home, as his already low ERA drops below 2.00, and his WHIP down to 0.86. It’s safe to say the Royals are a different team on the road, but with the playoffs approaching, every win counts.
Can Kansas City figure out a way to steal this game from the Tigers? Or will Skubal shutdown the Royals and add another win to his tally?
Kansas City Royals vs Detroit Tigers: AL Central Showdown
Tarik Skubal has not lost a game since June 19th
Game Information – Royals vs Tigers
- Venue & Location: Comerica Park (Detroit, MI)
- Date: Friday, August 2nd, 2024
- First Pitch: 6:40pm Eastern
- Broadcast: Apple TV+
Royals vs Tigers Starting Pitchers
- Kansas City Royals: Cole Ragans (7-7, 3.37 ERA, 1.17 WHIP)
- Detroit Tigers: Tarik Skubal (12-3, 2.35 ERA, 0.92 WHIP)
Betting Odds
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Run Line
- Royals +1.5 (-210)
- Tigers -1.5 (+180)
Money Line
- Royals +100
- Tigers -110
Total
- Over 7 (-107)
- Under 7 (-113)
Can Ragans Pitch Well on Road?
Cole Ragans is 1-0 against Detroit this season
We talked plenty about Skubal and why he will most likely shove tonight, but let’s talk about the Royals lefty. Ragans is 1-1 since the All Star Break, and but he’s allowed plenty of runs. In just 11.2 innings, Ragans has allowed 7 runs on 14 hits but has managed to sit down 12 batters. He already saw Detroit once where he picked up the win at home. Ragans allowed just 1 hits and 3 walks in 6 shutout innings, striking out 12 batters in just 18 recorded outs. With that in mind, his splits improve on the road.
Ragans has his 3.37 ERA drop to 2.83 on the road, and his 1.17 WHIP down to 1.09. While the improvements aren’t drastic, they prove he can handle business away from home. The Tigers don’t hit too well as a team but their average jumps 9 points against left handed pitchers, although that was not the case the last time they saw Ragans. As for the Royals bats, they certainly don’t improve on the road, but they definitely do against lefties. Hitting .252 as a team, the Royals hit .263 against LHP, and they’ve already seen Skubal twice. Salvador Perez in particular hits well off of Skubal, hitting .333 in 24 at bats with 3 home runs.
Point being, they are familiar with this guy, where as the Tigers struggling bats have only seen Ragans once, and it did not go well. It’s tough to ignore the fact that Skubal is 6-0 at home in 9 starts this season, but the Tigers are slumping, and the Royals are not. They are fighting for a Wild Card spot, maybe even the division title, and despite being 25-27 on the road, they have won 4 straight games, all away from home. Kansas City is 9-4 since the All Star Break and the bats are rolling. They are a tough team to fade at the moment, and while I can’t bring myself to fade Skubal, I will be backing Ragans in a different way.
Kansas City Royals vs Detroit Tigers Best Bets
Cole Ragans starts tonight in Detroit for the Royals
Royals vs Tigers Prediction: Royals Win
Best Bet: Cole Ragans Under 4.5 Hits Allowed (-117) BetOnline
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Ragans has only gone under this number in 10/22 starts this season, but he pitched 6 innings against Detroit and allowed just 1 hit. The Tigers bats are horrendously bad. They’ve scored 5 total runs in the last 4 games, they’re hitting .198 since the All Star Break, and despite his recent struggles, I see Ragans shoving tonight. The Royals bolstered their rotation by adding Michael Lorenzen at the break. Pressure will be on the other starters to prove their worth, and show how dangerous a deep rotation like this could be in the playoffs. That starts tonight with Ragans in Detroit.
Be sure to shop around, but I would play this up to (-120). I see Ragans having a career outing against the terrible Tigers bats.
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