Tigers vs Royals Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for May 22 (Detroit Takes Advantage of Pitching Matchup)

The Detroit Tigers (20-24) and Kansas City Royals (14-34) look to put their losing ways behind them in the first matchup of a three-game series on Monday, May 22.

Tigers vs Royals Game Info

• Date: Monday, May 22, 2023
• Time: 7:40 p.m. ET
• Venue: Kauffman Stadium -- Kansas City, Missouri
• Coverage: MLB Extra Innings, Bally Sports Detroit, Bally Sports Kansas City

Sunday saw the Tigers lose for the third time in their last four games in the form of a 6-4 loss to the Washington Nationals. The Royals, meanwhile, also came out on the wrong side of yesterday's tilt with the Chicago White Sox, falling 5-2 in the Windy City.

Tigers vs Royals Odds & Spread

• All MLB betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: DET: (-104) | KC: (-112)
• Spread: DET: -1.5 (+155) | KC: +1.5 (-188)
• Total: 8.5 -- Over: (-118) | Under: (-104)

The Royals enter this contest as road favorites on the moneyline while the Tigers are favored on the spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 7:40 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 8.5 runs with the Over being favored at -118 odds.

Tigers vs Royals Betting Trends

• Detroit is 4-10 straight up (SU) in its last 14 games against the American League.
• Kansas City is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games against the AL Central.
• The total has hit the Over in six of Detroit's last nine road games.
• The total has hit the Over in four of Kansas City's last six home games against Detroit.

Tigers vs Royals Prediction & Pick

Veteran starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen has been more than reliable in his first campaign with the Tigers. The former 2013 first-rounder is off to a 2-2 record through six starts, recording a 3.44 ERA and 1.206 WHIP along the way — both marks his best since the 2019 campaign.

In other words, the Royals need Brady Singer to pitch better than he has been. The 26-year-old righty's 7.09 ERA through five starts is the worst of his career while his 10.6 hits allowed per nine innings doesn't instill confidence. Nevertheless, Singer's only allowed five runs on 12 hits over his last dozen innings.

Even with Singer turning his play around, it won't matter as long as the Royals continue struggling to score. They average the fifth-fewest runs in the Majors, scoring a total of three in their last three outings. Besides, Kansas City is only 4-12 SU in its last 16 AL Central matchups, whereas Detroit is 12-3 SU in its previous 15.

Back the Tigers to tally an upset win here.

Final Score Prediction: Tigers: 5 | Royals: 4

Tigers vs Royals Best Bet

With both clubs owning bottom-10 ERAs when it comes to the Majors, I recommend backing the Over on the 8.5-run total. It also helps that the Over is 6-3 in the Tigers' last nine road games as well as 4-2 in the last six Detroit-KC matchups, averaging 9.5 runs over that stretch.

After the Tigers and Royals both allowed five-plus runs in their two latest respective outings, backing the Over, once again, is the way to go.

Bet: Over 8.5 Total Runs (-118)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.