Cardinals Favored to Top In-State Rival Kansas City
Royals vs Cardinals Predictions Has St. Louis As a Slight Favorite In Series Opener
Cardinals and Royals Defying the Odds With Strong First-Half Performances
It has been nine years since both the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals both made the playoffs. Could that change this season with the Royals 1.5 games out of the final playoff spot in the American League while St. Louis is in playoff position in the National League? The Royals vs Cardinals projections have the series opener approaching Pick’em status.
Since St. Louis won five games in a row against the Royals during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, the teams alternated wins and losses over the last six meetings, with the road team winning three times. Three of the previous four games between the Cardinals and Royals finished under the total.
When looking at the MLB picks and parlays, St. Louis is priced to -113 win Tuesday’s opener with +103 odds of the Royals to win after splitting the two games at Busch Stadium in 2023. There are +175 for St. Louis to cover at -1.5 on the run line.
The Major League Baseball World Series odds have Kansas City tied for 12th at +5000 and St. Louis tied for 14th in the championship odds.
Kansas City Royals vs St. Louis Cardinals 
Day/Time:
Location: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO
Streaming: Bally Sports Kansas City, Bally Sports Midwest
Royals vs Cardinals Probable Starting Pitchers
- Tuesday: Michael Wacha (Royals); Andre Pallante (Cardinals)
- Wednesday: Alec Marsh (Royals); Sonny Gray (Cardinals)
Familiar Haunts for Royals Game 1 Starter
Michael Wacha won his share of games at Busch Stadium as he was 59-30 while pitching for the Cardinals from 2013-19.
Wacha is pitching for his fifth franchise in five seasons since leaving St. Louis. While he has pitched against the Cardinals twice, this will be the first time he pitches in St. Louis since pitching five scoreless innings in a loss to Milwaukee on Sept. 15, 2019.
Wacha has allowed two runs or less in his last starts. After going four starts without a win, Wacha allowed just two hits and one run in six innings against Tampa Bay the last time out to pick up his fourth win of the season on July 3. That could factor into the Royals vs Cardinals projections.
Eleven of Kansas City’s last 15 games went under the total.
Cardinals Delivering the Hits
The offense is coming to life for the St. Louis Cardinals, as they are hitting .298 over the last seven games.
Led by Nolan Gorman’s .478 batting average, five starters are hitting over .300.
There hasn’t been much power during that stretch with catcher Willson Contreras hitting three of the seven home runs for the Cardinals during that stretch. Gorman, Contreras and Alec Burleson all have slugging percentages over .500 during that stretch Keep that in mind when it comes to the Royals vs Cardinals projections.
The best news is that veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt hit his first home run in eight games as the Cardinals topped the Washington Nationals on Monday to wrap up a four-game series.
Five of the previous seven games for St. Louis went over the total.
Who’s Hot
- Ryan Fernandez, St. Louis Cardinals P: Fernandez has allowed five hits and no runs in 8.1 innings with six strikeouts over his last seven games.
- Nolan Gorman, St. Louis Cardinals 2B: Gorman has four straight multi-hit games with three doubles, four runs, and four RBIs during that stretch.
- James McArthur, Kansas City Royals P: McArthur is 2-0 with three saves as he has given up five hits and no runs with four strikeouts in eight innings in his last eight games.
- Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals SS: Witt is hitting .500 with seven runs, three doubles, three home runs, and seven RBIs over his last six games.
Who’s Not
- Giovanny Gallegos, St. Louis Cardinals P: Gallegos has given up five hits and two runs with two walks in 3.1 innings in his last two appearances.
- Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals C: Perez is 5-for-24 with six strikeouts over his last six games.
- Mike Siani, St. Louis Cardinals OF: Siani is 3-for-18 with no extra-base hits and six strikeouts in his last six games.
- Chris Stratton, Kansas City Royals P: Stratton has surrendered six hits and four runs with four walks in 3.1 innings over his last four outings.
Royals vs Cardinals Injury Update
Pitchers Dan Altavilla, Josh Taylor, and Kyle Wright are on the injured list for Kansas City.
Catcher Ivan Herrera could be close to returning for the Cardinals while shortstop Tommy Edman and pitcher Steven Matz are on the injured list.
Royals vs Cardinals Betting Preview
When it comes to the MLB scores, the first of the two games might be the best chance for offensive fireworks with Alec Marsh and Sonny Gray set to pitch on Wednesday.
Kansas City is just 2-4 over the last six games and has lost five of its last six road games.
Six of the last seven games for the Royals when playing National League teams finished under the total. The total is at eight for the opening game of the two-game set.
The weather is not looking promising with more than 80% chance of rain in the forecast on Tuesday night with the 15 mile per hour winds potentially playing a factor if the game goes off as scheduled.
The Cardinals have covered in just 10 of 16 games when listed as the home favorite compared to a 16-11 record against the run line for Kansas City as the road underdog.
St. Louis has covered in 23 of 42 home games this season and it won’t be a surprise to see the Cardinals add to that total.
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