Detroit Tigers vs Kansas City Royals Picks and Predictions August 3rd 2024

From Comerica Park in Detroit, we have the Royals and Tigers facing off in an AL Central matchup. The Royals have won four straight and are 61-49 overall, while the Tigers are 52-58 and have Tarik Skubal on the mound Friday. The money line odds have the Tigers at -118 compared to the Royals at -101.

Friday’s over/under line is at 7 runs, and APLTV will be televising this one. First pitch is set for 6:40 PM ET. Cole Ragans is starting for the Royals, and he will be facing a Tigers club that has lost four straight.

Kansas City vs. Detroit Key Information

Kansas City is sending left-hander Cole Ragans to the mound today vs. the Tigers. He has made 22 starts this season and has a record of 7-7. Ragans’ ERA is 3.37, and he has a WHIP of 1.17. Opposing batters are hitting .218 off Ragans this season. In his 22 appearances, he has turned in 15 quality starts and is averaging 10.73 strikeouts per nine innings. Ragans’ last outing came vs. the Cubs, where he took the loss, giving up four earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts.

So far this season, the Royals are averaging 4.7 runs per game, which is 9th in the league. At home, they have been even better, averaging 5.2 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .252, which is 7th in the league, and have the fewest strikeouts per game in the league. Kansas City’s offense has been led by Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez, who have 20 and 19 homers, respectively.

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Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino have been two of the hottest hitters in the league of late, with Witt Jr. going 15/31 in his last eight games, and Pasquantino has gone 13/34 with three homers in this stretch. Witt Jr. also comes into the game on a 14-game hitting streak.

Tarik Skubal has been pitching great for the Tigers, coming into the game with a record of 12-3 and an ERA of 2.35. He has made 21 starts this year and has turned in 16 quality starts. Skubal’s ERA at home is 1.96, compared to 3.04 on the road. The left-hander has a WHIP of .92 and is coming off a start in which he went seven innings, giving up two earned runs, and picking up the win. In that outing, he gave up one homer. Skubal has won each of his last three starts.

Heading into today’s game, the Tigers are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 21st in the league. Detroit has been a bad offensive team at home and on the road, as they are 20th and 23rd in the league in scoring, respectively. As a team, the Tigers are batting just .230, and their on-base percentage of .295 is also near the bottom of the league rankings.

Over his last five games, Javier Báez has three home runs but is just 3/17 at the plate. Riley Greene is the Tigers’ top home run hitter this season, with 17, and is batting .264 overall. His 51 RBIs are also the best mark on the team. Matt Vierling is batting .250 for the season and is 2nd on the team with 13 homers.

Our lean in this one is to take the Royals to win straight-up over the Tigers. And despite our projections pointing to this being the 3rd lowest-scoring game of the day, we are leaning towards taking the over. The Royals offense has the 2nd fewest projected strikeouts in the league today, and Cole Ragans is 5th in chances to pick up a win. On the other side, Tarik Skubal has the best chance to pick up a win among today’s starters.

Michael Lorenzen Faces Familiar Foe, Tigers, in Royals Debut

Michael Lorenzen pitched for the Detroit Tigers at the start of last season, then recorded his first win of this season against them. Lorenzen will face the Tigers once again on Saturday, but he’ll do so wearing yet another uniform. He was traded from the Texas Rangers to Kansas City Royals on Monday in exchange for minor league pitcher Walter Pennington. On Saturday, he will make his Royals debut in Detroit.

Royals’ Recent Performance and Expectations

Kansas City has won five straight, including the initial two games of the ongoing four-game series. Detroit will be hoping to snap a five-game long string of failures. “I’m planning in giving this team a start like clockwork and giving them all that I have,” Lorenzen said, according to the Kansas City Star.

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Lorenzen’s Background and Performance

Lorenzen signed with Detroit in December 2022 and made 18 starts for the Tigers last season, then was dealt to Philadelphia. He made 11 regular-season appearances (seven starts) for the Phillies, then re-entered the free agent market after the season. Late in spring training, Lorenzen signed with the Rangers. In his Texas debut, Lorenzen tossed five shutout innings in Detroit on April 15.

Kansas City’s Rotation and Lorenzen’s Role

Lorenzen appeared in 19 games (with 18 starts) with the Rangers before the trade to the Royals. He is 5-6 with a 3.81 ERA this season. “I’m excited for the opportunity,” Lorenzen said.

“I think it’s a great team to join and kind of plug right in. It seems like a lot of good guys. You know, being with Detroit last year, I made a few starts against Kansas City. And I’m happy to be a part of it.”

Tigers’ Struggles and Lineup Changes

The Royals had been looking for a veteran option to fill the fifth spot in their rotation. “He is another piece, just like the guys we brought in as free agents,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “They are great examples to the rest of the team and they are selfless. They know what it takes to win and they’ve been in this environment. It’s something that the younger guys can watch.” Lorenzen has faced Detroit seven times (two starts) in his career, going 2-1 with a 2.30 ERA.

Detroit’s Starting Pitcher Situation

The Tigers hadn’t announced a starter for either of the last two games of the series. They essentially have two regular starters — ace Tarik Skubal and rookie Keider Montero, who pitched the first two games of this series. Casey Mize and Reese Olson are on the injured list, while Jack Flaherty was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday.

Tigers’ Trade Deadline Moves and Impact

The Tigers also traded three other veterans before the deadline. “We need to be professional and not pout about what happened over the last couple of days and get to playing baseball,” Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said.

“It’s what we control. It’s what we do. We have a lot of work to do and I trust our guys to be ready to play and not spend too much time on the rearview mirror.”

Maeda’s Role in the Bullpen

Kenta Maeda likely will continue be used in long relief. Maeda was signed to be one of the rotation’s mainstays but has pitched more effectively since he was moved to the bullpen. “I just don’t really want to mess him up right now with the way he got his stability back in his performance,” Hinch said.

Tigers’ Recent Performance

Detroit has been outscored 34-7 during the five-game skid, including a 9-2 loss on Friday night.