A rematch of the exciting 1985 World Series, in which the Kansas City Royals overcame series deficits of 2-0 and 3-1 to win the title in seven games over the St. Louis Cardinals, takes place on Tuesday night, as the Cardinals visit the Royals. The MLB odds for this game are close, and that has to do wit the fact that both teams have identical 39-35 records, as Kansas City struggles to capture their World Series form from last year, particularly on offense, while the Cardinals deal with the fact that they are not the boys to beat in the NL Central, trailing the Chicago Cubs by double digits.
St Louis vs. Kansas City MLB Odds and Game Prediction
When: Tuesday, June 28, 2016, 8:15pm Eastern time
Where: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City
TV: FSMW, FSKC
Radio: KCSP 610 AM Kansas City
Live Stream: MLB.tv
MLB Odds: Royals -1½+165Pitching Matchup: Michael Wacha (3-7, 4.41 ERA) (STL) vs Yordano Ventura (6-4, 4.54 ERA) (KC)
Why should you bet on St. Louis?
Despite Michael Wacha’s unimpressive win-loss record, he did snap a 10-start winless streak with his last intervention with the team. However, those numbers hide the fact that he has made three straight quality starts, in which he has permitted just five runs in 21 ⅓ innings. While his numbers haven’t been the best this season, no one of the current Royals have ever homered off Wacha (although the sample size is admittedly small since this is an interleague series). The Cards come into this game in relatively hot, winning four of their last six, including a three-game sweep of the Cubs at Wrigley last week.
Why should you put your money on the Royals?
Yordano Ventura returns to the mound after serving an eight-game suspension, so he has had a lengthy rest. Before that incident, though, he made his two best starts this season so far, permitting just one earned run in 13 ⅓ innings. The only Cardinal who has ever taken Ventura deep is Matt Carpenter. The Royals have lost four of five, as their offense has gone into a mini-meltdown. They lost two games to the Astros over the weekend by a combined score of 26-9, so the pitching has been suspect as well.
Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction
Given Ventura’s relative instability (it was a brawl that led to his suspension) and the rust that has accumulated, and given the Cardinals’ better play as of late, I like St. Louis to win, 6-4.
