St. Louis Cardinals vs. Kansas City Royals odds, tips and betting trends

At Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday, the St. Louis Cardinals meet the Kansas City Royals (four consecutive defeats) at 8:10 PM ET.

The Cardinals are a favorite (-124) at the Royals (+104). The Cardinals will start Dakota Hudson (2-1) versus the Royals and Brad Keller (0-2).

The Cardinals beat the Royals 1-0 yesterday, with Steven Matz getting the win (6.0 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 4 K) and Paul Goldschmidt leading the way offensively (going 2-for-3 with a home run and an RBI). Zack Greinke (6.0 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 1 K) took the loss for the Royals.

Ahead of watching this Cardinals vs. Royals matchup, here’s what you need to know about Tuesday’s action on the diamond.

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Kansas City Royals Odds and Betting Lines

Tipico Sportsbook. Odds updated Monday at 8:04 PM ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.

• Favorite: Cardinals (-124, bet $124 to win $100)
• Underdog: Royals (+104, bet $100 to win $104)
• Over/under: 7.5

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Cardinals Stats and Trends

Cardinals Betting Records

• The Cardinals have been favorites in 12 games this season and won eight (66.7%) of those contests.
• This season, St. Louis has won seven of its 11 games, or 63.6%, when favored by at least -124 on the moneyline.
• The oddsmakers’ moneyline implies a 55.4% chance of a victory for the Cardinals.
• St. Louis’ games have gone over the total in nine of their 21 chances.
• The Cardinals are 11-10-0 against the spread this season.

Dakota Hudson (Cardinals Probable Starter)

• Hudson (2-1) will take to the mound for the Cardinals and make his fifth start of the season.
• The right-hander did not allow a run in six innings pitched on Thursday in his last outing, a matchup with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
• The 27-year-old has pitched in four games this season with a 2.75 ERA, 6.4 strikeouts per nine innings and a batting average against of .169.
• He’s going for his third straight quality start.
• Hudson will look to finish five or more innings for the third start in a row.
• The Royals are batting .213 this season, 27th in MLB. They have a team slugging percentage of .314 (28th in the league) with 12 home runs.
• The right-hander has allowed the Royals to go 5-for-17 with two home runs and three RBI in four innings this season.

Cardinals Batting Stats

• The Cardinals’ 17 home runs rank 22nd in Major League Baseball.
• The offense for the Cardinals has a slugging percentage of .343 this season, 20th in MLB.
• St. Louis has a team batting average of .225 this season, which ranks 21st among MLB teams.
• The Cardinals have scored 80 runs (3.8 per game) this season, which ranks 23rd in MLB.
• St. Louis has the 21st-ranked on-base percentage in MLB this season (.299).
• No team has fewer strikeouts this season than the Cardinals, who have struck out only 7.3 times per game on average.

Royals Stats and Trends

Royals Betting Records

• The Royals have come away with five wins in the 16 contests they have been listed as the underdogs in this season.
• This season, Kansas City has come away with a win five times in 15 chances when named as an underdog of at least +104 or worse on the moneyline.
• The moneyline set for this matchup implies the Royals have a 49% chance of coming away with a victory in the contest.
• Kansas City’s games have gone over the total in eight of their 21 opportunities.
• The Royals have posted a record of 10-11-0 against the spread this season.

Brad Keller (Royals Probable Starter)

• The Royals are sending Keller (0-2) to the mound for his fifth start of the season. He is 0-2 with a 2.19 ERA and 17 strikeouts over 24 2/3 innings pitched.
• The righty last pitched on Thursday against the Chicago White Sox, when he tossed seven innings, allowing one earned run while giving up three hits.
• During four games this season, the 26-year-old has amassed a 2.19 ERA and 6.2 strikeouts per nine innings, while allowing a batting average of .165 to opposing batters.
• Keller is looking to pick up his fourth quality start of the season.
• Keller will try to record his fourth outing of five or more innings pitched this season. He’s averaging 6.1 innings per appearance.
• The opposing Cardinals offense has the 20th-ranked slugging percentage (.343) and ranks 22nd in home runs hit (17) in all of MLB. They have a collective .225 batting average, and are 25th in the league with 155 total hits and 23rd in MLB play scoring 80 runs.
• The 26-year-old ranks 17th in ERA (2.19), sixth in WHIP (.770), and 48th in K/9 (6.2) among qualifying pitchers in MLB action this season.

Royals Batting Stats

• The Royals have hit 12 home runs this season, the fifth-lowest total in MLB action.
• This season, the Royals’ .314 slugging percentage is the third-lowest average in baseball.
• Kansas City is 27th in the league with a .213 batting average.
• The Royals score the second-fewest runs in baseball (63 total, 3.0 per game).
• Kansas City’s .284 on-base percentage is 25th in baseball.
• Royals batters strike out 7.3 times per game, the second-lowest average in the league.

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