The Kansas City Royals (15-35) host the Detroit Tigers (21-25) at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium on Wednesday with the three-game series in the balance.
The Royals leveled the series 1-1 after winning 4-1 on Tuesday. Jose Cuas got the win with 1.1 scoreless innings of relief, and Aroldis Chapman picked up his second save with a scoreless ninth.
Maikel Garcia went 3 for 4 with one run and one RBI in the win. Javier Baez was 2 for 4 with one RBI for the Tigers.
ON THE MOUND
Matthew Boyd (3-3, 6.21 ERA) is set to take the mound for Detroit. The left-hander allowed three runs over 5.2 innings in his last start, an 8-6 road win over the Nationals on Friday. He earned the win, scattering four hits while striking out four and walking one.
Boyd is making his first appearance against the Royals this season. Boyd made one appearance against the Royals in 2022, a 13-12 road loss for the Mariners on September 25.
He allowed one hit over 0.2 scoreless innings. Right-hander Zack Greinke (1-5, 4.82 ERA) gets the ball for Kansas City. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Tigers.
Greinke made two appearances against the Tigers in 2022, both starts, striking out two and walking two over 12.1 innings (0-0, 1.46).
In his last start on Friday, Greinke took the loss on the road against the White Sox. He threw 5.2 innings and gave up two runs on five hits, striking out four, in the 2-0 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Detroit has averaged 4.6 runs a game, a small gain compared to their season average of 3.6. Against right-handed pitchers like Greinke this season, the Tigers have a .644 OPS, second lowest in MLB.
Riley Greene is the team’s strongest performer against right-handers with a .805 OPS in 134 at-bats. Kansas City is averaging only 2.4 runs per game in the last five, down from 3.9 for the season, with their slash line falling across the board (.176/.238/.302).
The Royals have a .749 OPS against southpaws in 2023. With a .400 OBP over 40 at-bats, Vinnie Pasquantino has their highest on-base percentage against left-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Detroit is 11-15 away from home in 2023, scoring 3.5 runs per game while allowing 4.7 runs. Kansas City has gone 7-18 at home this season, averaging 4.3 runs per game while surrendering 5.8.
Kansas City is 6-4 in the last 10 games between the AL Central rivals at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium with an average scoreline of 4.2-4.1.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Tigers are second in the AL Central, two games behind the division-leading Twins. The Royals are fifth in the AL Central, 10 games behind the Twins.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Detroit Tigers (-105)
Want up to a $1K risk free bet for this pick?
Claim with 
today!
If you need more news, information and predictions, head over to our MLB hub page for all your baseball needs!
*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
