The line seems a bit off for September 22nd Cardinals at Royals betting as 2nd place St. Louis is just -114. Kansas City did take the series opener 4-1 on Monday +174 underdogs, but oddsmakers have dropped that to +104 for Tuesday night’s meeting.
Tuesday’s game would seem to mean more for the Cardinals, who have pulled into a 2nd place tie with Cincinnati in the Central. St. Louis is still headed to the postseason with a 75.9% chance of making the playoffs but they’d rather wrap that up sooner than later. Royals manager Mike Matheny would also like to make his former team delay clinching as long as possible.
Was Monday’s Game a Hiccup?
St. Louis fell 4-1 in the series opener and cost bettors dearly as -191 favorites with Adam Wainwright on the mound. The loss put the season series at 2-2, as Kansas City also scored a 5-4 win on a Wainwright start at Busch Stadium.
The defeat also snapped a 4-game win streak for the Redbirds, who are now still 8-3 in their last 11 vs. the Royals. The St. Louis offense has now been held to 2 runs or less in four of their last seven games though and will be facing KC starter Brady Singer for the first time.
Austin Gomber (0-1, 2.37 ERA) takes the mound in Dakota Hudson’s spot in the rotation. Gomber makes his first start since September 10th, after coming out of the bullpen for the last two. The left-hander allowed 4ER in 1.2 IP of relief last Thursday but had a successful hold against the Royals on August 24th allowing 0ER in 1.2 IP.
Kansas City Makes it Two in a Row?
The Royals are looking for a strong finish to the season, as they are 6-4 over their last 10. Kansas City had dropped three straight in Milwaukee prior to Monday’s win and are now 11-13 at home on the season. The Royals scored the win as +174 underdogs in the series opener.
September 22nd Cardinals at Royals betting could be a low scoring affair, even with a betting total of 9. Kansas City has just a collective .105 average vs. Gomber, tallying just 2 hits in 19 AB. Adalberto Mondesi does have a triple in three ABs vs. the Cardinals starter, but it’s been few and far between aside from that.
Brady Singer could also contribute to Tuesday’s meeting heading towards the ‘under’ as Brady Singer (3-4, 4.14 ERA) looks for a third straight solid start. Singer has allowed 0ER in his last two, while striking out 16 over that span. The rookie makes his first career start vs. the Cardinals.
September 22nd Cardinals at Royals Betting Free Pick
There’s value on both sides in this one with the Cardinals traditionally playing well vs. Kansas City but the Royals seemingly having a pitching edge on Tuesday. The wild card is Gomber, making his first start in two weeks and coming off an especially bad outing last time out vs. the Pirates. Either way, with Singer’s recent dominance this meeting should be lower scoring.
Cardinals 3 Royals 2
Free Pick: Under 9
