Cardinals vs Royals: MLB Predictions, Odds & Best Bets (8/9)

The Cardinals have traveled across I-70 to face off with the Royals in Kansas City tonight. This game kicks off just a two game series between these teams at Kauffman, and St. Louis will look to improve from the last time these teams played. Just before the All Star Break, the Royals met the Cardinals for a two game series at Busch, which ended up being a double header due to rain. The Royals won both of those games, 6-4 early and 8-5 late, leaving their in-state rival holding two Ls. Tonight the Cardinals will try to enact their revenge, but will they be able to do so against this streaking Royals team?

The Royals are 12-7 since the All Star Break, sit just 4 games behind the Guardians in the AL Central, and half a game behind the Twins in the Wild Card race. If the season ended right now, the Yals would make the playoffs, as they are 1.5 games ahead of Boston for the 3rd and final Wild Card spot. However, there is still baseball to be played, and Kansas City knows how much each win means to them. They hit much better at home, and Michael Lorenzen will be making his first start at the K tonight in from of the home town crowd. Personally, I see him putting on a show.

The Cardinals are tossing out Miles Mikolas, and while they are in 2nd place of the NL Central, they are still 7 games behind the Brewers. Not great. They aren’t even in a Wild Card spot, as they currently sit 2 spots and 2.5 games out of making the playoffs. Both teams clearly need a crucial win tonight, but there can be only one.

Will the Cardinals pull off a miraculous upset on the road? Or can the Royals defend the K once again?

St. Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals: I-70 Series Showdown

Game Information – Cardinals vs Royals

• Venue & Location: Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City, MO)
• Date: Friday, August 9th, 2024
• First Pitch: 8:10pm Eastern

Cardinals vs Royals Starting Pitchers

• St. Louis Cardinals: Miles Mikolas (8-9, 5.12 ERA, 1.27 WHIP)
• Kansas City Royals: Michael Lorenzen (5-6, 3.69 ERA, 1.28 WHIP)

Betting Odds

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Run Line

• Cardinals +1.5 (-190)
• Royals -1.5 (+165)

Money Line

• Cardinals +108
• Royals -118

Total

• Over 9 (-110)
• Under 9 (-110)

Classic Rivalry in Kauffman Tonight

The Royals are just so much more dominant at home, on both sides of the ball. As a team, they hit .253 overall but .268 at home which leads the MLB. As stated, they already beat the Cardinals twice, scoring 14 total runs and covering the run line in both contests on the road, but tonight they get to do so at home. Kansas City is red hot, and they are hitting .280 as a team since the All Star Break. Their record is 37-24 at Kauffman this season, and they’ve been even more dominant at home on Friday Nights.

Call this a meaningless stat if you choose, but at home on Friday Nights this season, the Kansas City Royals are 8-1. They’ve covered the run line in 6 of those wins, and have cleared 5+ runs in 8 straight as well. They are beating opponents by an average score of 7.22 to 3.56 on Friday Night home games this year, and against Mikolas, I see them doing so again.

The Cardinals bats respectfully are not great. They hit just .246 dropping down to .242 on the road, and are hitting just .232 in the month of August. Yes, Mikolas’ splits improve on the road, but he is coming off a terrible road start, and has had some iffy outings recently. In his L4 outings, Mikolas has allowed 15 Earned Runs, posting a 6.40 ERA in those starts. Against the best hitting team at home tonight, he could be tossing batting practice to the Royals.

We’ve bet on the Royals at home before on Friday Nights, and this is turning into a staple bet of mine, but the win percentage can’t be argued. These bets keep hitting on a Friday at the K, so I will gladly keep betting them for these prices.

St. Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals Best Bets

Cardinals vs Royals Prediction: Royals Win

Best Bet: Royals TT Over 4.5 (-107) BetOnline

The Royals bats are hot and they simply score runs at home. This season the Royals are scoring 4.78 runs per game, with that number jumping to 5.23 at home. They are simply a completely different team at Kauffman Stadium, and I have no problem backing them against the Cardinals. Kansas City has already cleared this TT in both games against St. Louis, and covered the run line as well. They’ve cleared this line in 7 of their L8 games, and have won 7 of their L10 overall. In my mind, this should be priced closer to (-120), so getting it at (-107) from out friends at BetOnline is a HUGE win already.

All we need is 5 runners to cross the plate for Kansas City tonight and we really win big.

Bonus Bet: Royals -1.5 (+165) BetOnline

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