Royals vs Tigers Odds, Picks, and Probable Pitchers
- The Kansas City Royals are road favorites over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday afternoon
- The Royals send Kris Bubic (5-6, 4.80) to the mound to face Wily Peralta (4-3, 3.04)
- The odds and pitching matchups can be found below with a prediction
Two American League Central teams playing out the string — the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers — close out their three-game series Sunday afternoon at 12:10 pm ET Sunday at Comerica Park.
Manager AJ Hinch’s club has played well in September, going 12-8 in the final full month of the regular season prior to Saturday’s action. But the Royals knocked off the Tigers 3-1 in Friday night’s series opener, thanks — in part — to Kansas City rookie right-hander Carlos Hernandez’s performance. Detroit only managed six hits, while KC’s Ryan O’Hearn came through at the plate. The designated hitter went 2-for-2 with a walk, RBI and run scored.
Heading into Saturday, KC owned a 10-7 advantage over Detroit in head-to-head games this season, so it’s not surprising Bubic and Co. are slight road favorites Sunday.
Royals vs Tigers Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Royals | -120 | -1.5 (+140) | Over 9 (-110) |
| Detroit Tigers | +100 | +1.5 (-160) | Under 9 (-110) |
Odds as of September 24th at DraftKings.
Probable Pitchers
On the mound, Kansas City’s Kris Bubic (5-6, 4.80) faces Wily Peralta (4-3, 3.04).
The 24-year-old Bubic may have an ERA approaching 5.00, but that is deceiving. In 18 starts this season, eight have been of the quality variety. In four of those, he allowed two hits or less and his ERA as a starter in his five rotation turns is a more manageable 4.30. The Royals have gone 5-0 in those outings and 13-5 in games the Stanford product started.
Bubic vs Peralta Key Stats
| 5-6 | Record | 4-3 |
| 4.80 | ERA | 3.04 |
| 5.46 | xERA | 4.50 |
| 1.46 | WHIP | 1.59 |
| 1.78 | SO/W | 1.26 |
The southpaw dazzled in his last outing, going 6.1 innings and allowing only two hits, an earned run and four walks while striking out a pair in an eventual 8-1 victory over the Mariners — a team vying for an AL Wild Card spot.
Kris Bubic pitched really well tonight. Mixed things up. Didn't get beat by anything middle. Got through 6.1 IP and only allowed one earned run (which happened in this seventh). Did walk four and struck out two.
— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) September 19, 2021
Bubic is 2-5 with a 5.58 ERA in 14 road appearances (ten starts) this season. In twelve day game appearances (eight starts), he has a 1-4 record and 6.29 ERA. In more encouraging news, over four career appearances (three starts) against the Motor City Kitties, Bubic is 1-0 with a 3.05 ERA. In one career appearance at Comerica, the lefty went five scoreless innings, scattering only three hits while walking four and striking out six.
As for Peralta, the 32-year-old has recorded five quality starts in 16 rotation turns this season. He’s been especially filthy in his two most recent starts. Peralta beat a pair of playoff teams — throwing a combined 13 scoreless innings and scattering five hits while walking five and striking out eight in a pair of victories over the Brewers and Rays.
The gentlemen in the broadcast booth are joined by RHP Wily Peralta, who pitched an absolute gem against the Rays yesterday afternoon. #DetroitRoots pic.twitter.com/JRgdfNQnvk
— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) September 20, 2021
Peralta is 1-0 with a 1.88 ERA in six starts at home in 2021. He’s 2-1 with a 2.97 ERA in six day game starts.
Tiger King
Andrew Benintendi has been one of KC’s best hitters so far in September. Coming into Saturday’s action, he’s hitting 30-for-85 (.353) for the month while driving in a team-high 23 RBI and slugging four home runs. He’s put up strikingly similar numbers against the Tigers in his career, going 45-for-133 (.338) with four homers and 22 runs driven in. He’s hitless in his career against Peralta, but that could change Sunday.
Andrew Benintendi has improved significantly as the season has gone on. He's not what he was in 2018, but he's a useful player. The Red Sox were right to trade him for a smorgasbord of prospects. Both of these things can be happening at the same time. https://t.co/fP7PNNDboz
— Ed Hand (@EdwardHand8) September 20, 2021
Out of probable KC hitters Sunday that Peralta has faced in his career, Carlos Santana and Ryan O’Hearn have taken the right-hander deep. The group of seven players with a history against Peralta are a combined 6-for-25 (.240) against him.
Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers
| Royals Batters | Batting Average vs Wily Peralta | Tigers Batters | Batting Average vs Kris Bubic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whit Merrifield | .250 | Akil Baddoo | .000 |
| Nicky Lopez | .000 | Jonathan Schoop | .286 |
| Salvador Perez | .333 | Robbie Grossman | .286 |
| Andrew Benintendi | .000 | Miguel Cabrera | .444 |
| Carlos Santana | .286 | Jeimer Candelario | .333 |
| Ryan O’Hearn | .333 | Eric Haase | .250 |
| Hunter Dozier | .500 | Niko Goodrum | .333 |
Probable Tigers batters with a history against Bubic have had a little more success against him than his fellow starter. Miguel Cabrera has gone yard against the lefty, while the group (that also includes Victor Reyes) has gone a combined 16-for-49 (.327) against him.
Reyes has been a standout for manager AJ Hinch so far in September. The outfielder has gone 16-for-49 (.327) through Friday’s action, going deep once and driving in nine runs. Either he or Cabrera could click against Bubic.
Royals vs Tigers Pick
With both teams bats’ being comparable coming into the series finale, this one might come down to the starters.
I like what Bubic has done lately, but Peralta’s home/day game splits have me fading the favorites and getting some value on the home underdog in this spot.
The Pick: Tigers +100
Blair Johnson is a veteran journalist and seasoned sports content creator. He has been writing and producing content as long as he can remember, with such familiar names as CNN, NFL Media and Yahoo. Blair currently lives and works in the greater Los Angeles area.
