Cardinals vs Royals Prediction
The St. Louis Cardinals will head down I-70 to face the Kansas City Royals for an in-state matchup this Friday from Kauffman Stadium.
Cardinals Preview & Projected Starter
St. Louis moved to 51-65 after taking two of three from Tampa Bay. The Cardinals won consecutive games in nearly a month, and they’ll look to take care of their Sunflower State foes this weekend. The St. Louis offense is scoring 3.97 runs per game, while batting .258, with a .328 on-base percentage. The pitching staff carries a 4.64 ERA, with a 1.49 WHIP.
Adam Wainwright (3-6, 7.81 ERA, 39 Ks) will get the ball for St. Louis. The longtime Cards pitcher was roughed up by Colorado at home last week, allowing seven runs through just three innings en route to his second straight loss. It was kind of sad to watch, as Wainwright had another one of those starts that’ll make you feel like he’s washed, and it’s totally fair if the mileage has piled up for the potential Hall of Famer. Wainwright comes into a spot for redemption in a matchup with Kansas City that he’s loved over his time with St. Louis, and he’ll attempt to bounce back here.
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Cardinals Player Trends & Props
• Nolan Arenado brings an eight-game hit streak into this interleague set, and he’s St. Louis’ leader in home runs (24) and RBI (81), while batting .283.
• Paul Goldschmidt has recorded a hit in five of the last six games, and he leads the Cards in hits (131), with splits of .274/18/59.
• Wilson Contreras has collected a hit in seven of his last nine games, and he’s posting a line of .252/12/43.
• Nolan Gorman is tied with Arenado for the team-lead in homers with 24, while batting in 67 runs.
Royals Preview & Projected Starter
Kansas City comes in at 37-80 after losing three of four in Boston. The Royals were cooled off on their road trip, and they’ll look to turn things around against their in-state foes here at Kauffman. Kansas City offense is scoring 3.62 runs per game, while batting .233, with a .293 on-base percentage. The pitching staff carries a 5.25 ERA, with a 1.43 WHIP.
Dylan Coleman (0-0, 10.05 ERA, 84 Ks) is set to open the game for Kansas City. The third-year righty will make his eighteenth appearance of the season, and he hasn’t been as putrid as his ERA looks. Since being blown up by Texas in less than an inning pitched (0.1 IP, 6 ER), he’s only given up more than one run once over his last twelve outings.
Royals Player Trends & Props
• Bobby Witt Jr. has recorded a hit in nine of the last ten games, and he leads KC in hits (124), homers (20) and RBI (68).
• Maikel Garcia brings a 13-game hit streak into this contest, and he leads the Royals in batting (.281), with 38 RBI.
• Salvador Perez has recorded a hit in six of his last nine appearances, and he’s second on the team with 17 homers and 45 RBI.
• MJ Melendez homered three times at Fenway this week, and he’s posting splits of .223/12/41.
Corey’s Free Pick
It’s very natural to want to roll with the big brother here. St. Louis comes into this matchup on the heels of their best played series in a month, as they found a way to steal two of three games from Tampa, but how well does Adam Wainwright come out and throw after last week’s bout? I'd personally love to see him toss a gem, but trusting the veteran on the road against a young, feisty Royals club comes with a few red flags, and it provides a different angle for here to target the total. KC’s getting great production from their bats right now, while St. Louis still carries one of the top tandems in the league despite their record. Let’s roll with the Over for this Sunflower State battle.
