After struggling to win at home the last two nights, will the Royals improve their luck when they visit the Cardinals tonight at 8:15PM ET?
The Matchup: Royals vs. Cardinals, 8:15PM ET, Busch Stadium
According to oddsmakers, the Cardinals are -130 money line home favorites to win tonight. That makes the Royals +110 money line underdogs to win tonight on the road. The total, meanwhile, hit the board at 9 but has dropped to 8.5.
The Pitching Matchup: Trevor Cahill (KC) vs. Mike Leake (STL)
Cahill enters play tonight with a 4-3 record and owns a 4.13 ERA over his 69 2/3 innings of work. He hasn’t won since July 16 when he beat the Giants as a member of the Padres. In his two starts as a member of the Royals, Cahill has two no-decisions, including in his last outing versus the Mariners on August 3. He pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowed two runs on six hits while striking out three and walking two.
As for Leake, he has thrown 134 2/3 innings in 2017, owns a 7-10 record and a 3.34 ERA. He’s dropped his last two starts, including on August 4 in Cincinnati against his former team. Leake pitched six innings, allowed three runs on eight hits and struck out three withing walking a single batter. The Cardinals lost that game 3-2 so Leake was a victim of poor run support.
Our Prediction:
The Cardinals have lost five of Leake’s last six starts. They’re also 0-4 in his last four interleague outings, are 2-10 in his last 12 home starts versus an opponent with a winning record, and are just 5-15 in his last 20 starts overall. St. Louis racked up plenty of runs in Kansas City but before this series started, the Cardinals were horrid offensively. They’ve been an inconsistent team all year and after winning a couple in a row, I think they’ll go back to frustrating their home base again tonight.
Wednesday MLB Prediction: Kansas City Royals +110