Free MLB Picks Today: St. Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals 5/29/23

The Kansas City Royals (16-38) take one of the least productive offenses in MLB on the road to face the St. Louis Cardinals (24-31) at Busch Stadium on Monday to open a two-game Interleague series.

The Royals are heading on the road after a tough six-game homestand (2-4). They won only one out of three in their last series against the Nationals, taking the finale 3-2 on Sunday at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. Edward Olivares was 1 for 3 with a solo home run.

The Cardinals are back home after a seven-game road trip (3-4). They lost two of three against the Guardians in their last series, dropping the finale 4-3 on Sunday at Progressive Field. Paul Goldschmidt went 2 for 4 with a solo home run and a double.

Alec Burleson added a solo home run. The teams are meeting for the first time this season. Last season, the Cardinals won three of the four games between the teams, although they split their most recent two-game series at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium in May.

ON THE MOUND

For St. Louis, right-hander Adam Wainwright (2-0, 6.33 ERA) will take the mound. Wainwright made one start against the Royals in 2022, throwing seven innings in a 10-0 road win on May 4. He gave up one hit and walked one, while striking out two in the win.

In his last start on Tuesday, Wainwright got the win on the road against the Reds. He threw 5.2 innings and gave up five runs on eight hits, striking out two and walking one in the 8-5 victory.

AT THE PLATE

The Kansas City offense is averaging 3.9 runs per game for the season, fifth lowest in MLB, with a slash line of .231/.295/.383. Salvador Perez leads the team in OPS at .876.

The catcher is slashing .288/.327/.549 with 12 home runs, 32 RBIs, and 26 runs over 48 games. Against righties like Wainwright this season, the Royals have a .653 OPS, third lowest in MLB.

Perez also is the team’s most potent producer against right-handers with a .916 OPS in 142 at-bats. St. Louis is slashing .257/.332/.432 for the season and averaging 4.9 runs per game.

Nolan Gorman leads the team with a .958 OPS. The second baseman has 13 home runs, 40 RBIs, and 22 runs scored with a slash line of .282/.376/.583.

St. Louis is averaging only 2.6 runs per game in the last five with their slash line slipping across the board (.195/.283/.354).

HOME AND AWAY

Kansas City is on a three-game losing streak in road games, bringing their record to 8-17 in 2023. The Royals have scored 3.4 runs per game away from home, while allowing 4.8 runs.

St. Louis has gone 11-15 at Busch Stadium this season, averaging 5.8 runs per game while surrendering 5.1. St. Louis is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings at Busch Stadium with an average scoreline of 5.2-3.9.

STANDINGS UPDATE

The Royals are fifth in the AL Central, 12 games behind the division-leading Twins. The Cardinals are third in the NL Central, four games behind the Brewers.