Tigers vs. Royals MLB Odds & Picks (Monday)
A 2-1 day in our lone best bets column since the All-Star Break has us brimming with confidence entering a new week. Read on to find out which total, team total, and upset picks we have in store for Monday.
Today's Best MLB Bets: Tigers vs. Royals
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Detroit Tigers (-134) vs. Kansas City Royals (+114) | O/U 9.5 (-108/-112)
The Detroit Tigers send Matt Manning to the mound for the first time since combining with two relievers to no-hit the Toronto Blue Jays. In hindsight, that no-hitter was an even bigger accomplishment, given that is the only Blue Jays loss in their previous nine games. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Royals are 1-16 in Jordan Lyles’ 17 starts, and Lyles faces a Tigers team that is 3-0-1 in their last four road series. What could go wrong with picking the underdogs?
The general public is sure to be high on Manning after that start and will fail to recognize that was the only quality start he made in his five appearances. Manning is still on pace for his worst hard-hit percentage allowed (45.2%) in his young three-year career, and his whiff percentage and chase rate are both in the second percentile. While Kansas City ranks near or at the bottom of the league in every statistical category, the one metric they fare much better in is BABIP (21st in the league), and putting balls in play against a contact pitcher like Manning should not be an issue tonight. And while Lyles has a poor 0.60 GO/AO ratio, that should not burn him against a Tigers lineup that ranks 24th in home runs and 28th in slugging.
This line is curiously low, considering the underdogs are 1-16 in their starting pitcher’s starts, but we are not taking the bait.
Pick: Royals ML (+114)
Make sure to check out our other best bets for Monday:
- MLB Same Game Parlay Odds, Picks & Predictions
- MLB No Runs First Inning (NRFI) Picks & Predictions
- MLB Best Bet Odds, Picks & Predictions
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox | Pocket Casts
Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.