Tigers vs. Royals prediction and odds for Wednesday, July 19 (Trust E-Rod to get win)

The Detroit Tigers came up short in a high-scoring game against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night, as lefty Tarik Skubal really struggled through four innings. 

On Wednesday, the Tigers have another lefty heading to the mound with Eduardo Rodriguez (5-5, 2.70 ERA) getting the ball against Royals opener Ryan Yarbrough (2-4, 5.29 ERA). 

This is the fifth start of the season for Yarbrough, who actually gave the Royals six innings of one-run ball in his last outing. 

Can he do that again when taking on a below average Detroit offense? Here are the latest odds and how to bet on this AL Central matchup: 

I love the Tigers to win this game and put themselves in a spot to at least split this series. 

Rodriguez has been terrific in 2023, posting a 3.28 Fielding Independent Pitching and a 1.00 WHIP in 13 starts. The Tigers are just 6-7 in those games, but E-Rod has kept them in almost every single one. 

The same can’t be said for Yarbrough – albeit in limited starts – as he allowed five earned runs in 3.2 innings in his second start of the season. His ERA is sub 4.00 as a starting pitcher, but I’m not sure how much length he’ll actually give the Royals.

That's the biggest concern since Kansas City ranks 28th in Major League Baseball in bullpen ERA this season at 5.23. Even with the team beating up on Tigers starter Tarik Skubal on Tuesday, the game ended up being close since Detroit scored four runs in the ninth inning.

I give the edge to E-Rod in this game, and with the Tigers having a better bullpen (3.99 ERA), I expect them to hold on for a win.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.