Kansas City Royals vs Detroit Tigers Prediction, Preview, & Odds – 8/4/2024

Kansas City Royals vs Detroit Tigers Details

• Date: August 4, 2024
• Venue: Comerica Park
• Starting Pitchers:
  • Michael Wacha - Royals
  • Beau Brieske - Tigers

Betting Odds

Kansas City Royals vs Detroit Tigers Win Probabilities

Implied Win % in sports betting represent the probability of an outcome as suggested by the betting odds. It's a way for bettors to gauge the likelihood of an event occurring based on the odds offered by sportsbooks.

Projected Win %, also known as projected win probability, is an estimate by ATS.io to determine the likelihood that a team will win a game or event. This projection is often based on various factors such as team performance, statistics, and historical data.

Kansas City Royals vs Detroit Tigers Betting Preview

As the Kansas City Royals prepare to face off against the Detroit Tigers on August 4, 2024, the stakes are high in this American League Central matchup. The Royals, sitting at 62-50, are enjoying a solid season, while the Tigers are struggling with a record of 53-59. In their previous game, the Tigers edged out the Royals 6-5 in 11 innings, showcasing a competitive spirit despite their below-average season.

Starting for the Tigers is Beau Brieske, who has struggled this year, with a 4.78 ERA and a 1-2 record. Brieske, ranked 114th among starting pitchers, is projected to pitch only 1.2 innings today, which raises concerns given that he has allowed 0.6 earned runs on average. In his last outing on July 29, he went just 1 inning, surrendering 3 earned runs. Conversely, the Royals will counter with Michael Wacha, a more reliable option who has a 3.58 ERA and is ranked 86th among MLB starters. Wacha recently pitched well, going 7 innings with only 2 earned runs allowed.

The Tigers' offense has been a major concern, ranking 27th overall in the league. Their best hitter, Matt Vierling, has performed decently, but the team struggles to generate consistent runs. In contrast, the Royals boast Bobby Witt Jr., who has been exceptional with a .345 batting average and 20 home runs this season.

Interestingly, projections suggest the Tigers may have a better chance to win than the betting market indicates, with some metrics giving them a 48% chance of victory. This could present an opportunity for bettors looking for value on an underdog. With a game total of 8.5 runs, fans can expect another closely contested battle as these teams continue their series at Comerica Park.

Quick Takes Kansas City Royals:

Michael Wacha has added a slider to his pitch mix this season and has utilized it 8.2% of the time.

• Adding an extra pitch often leads to more success because it makes the pitcher more unpredictable and keeps hitters guessing more, and change-ups are one of the most effective pitches to use.

Bobby Witt Jr. has seen a big increase in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 92.8-mph average to last season's 90.7-mph figure.

• Hitting the ball hard increases the chances of either a home run or the ball landing in fair territory for a hit before a fielder can get to it.

Kansas City has been the #29 squad in the majors when it comes to hitting balls between -4° and 26°, the launch angle range that tends to optimize base hits (41.1% rate this year).

• Balls that are hit either too high or too low can easy to field, but balls hit between -4° and 26° are far more likely to become base hits.

Quick Takes Detroit Tigers:

The Detroit Tigers infield defense grades out as the 2nd-weakest out of all the teams playing today.

• Defense is an integral part of preventing (or, in this case, allowing) hits and runs.

As it relates to his batting average, Zach McKinstry has suffered from bad luck this year. His .175 mark falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .237.

• xBA uses highly advanced Statcast data to measure a player's batting average ability more accurately than actual batting average can.

Detroit's 88.5-mph average exit velocity this year ranks among the worst in baseball: #21 overall.

• Hitting the ball hard increases the chances of either a home run or the ball landing in fair territory for a hit before a fielder can get to it.

Game Trends

• The Detroit Tigers have hit the Game Total Over in 55 of their last 98 games (+10.75 Units / 10% ROI)
• The Kansas City Royals have hit the 1st Five Innings (F5) Team Total Over in 19 of their last 30 games (+6.45 Units / 18% ROI)
• Kyle Isbel has hit the Home Runs Over in 2 of his last 11 away games (+11.00 Units / 100% ROI)

Kansas City Royals vs Detroit Tigers Prediction

Final Score: Kansas City Royals 4.51 vs Detroit Tigers 4.07

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