Kansas City Royals vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction, 7/9/2024 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Kansas City Royals vs St. Louis Cardinals

Date: Tuesday, July 9, 2024

Location: Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO

TV: Bally Sports Midwest

The Kansas City Royals (49-43) are en route to Busch Stadium on Tuesday where they will take on the St. Louis Cardinals (47-42). The men taking the mound will be Michael Wacha and Andre Pallante.

Kansas City has a slugging percentage of .404 and have been called out on strikes 636 times, while drawing a walk on 251 occasions. They have 405 runs batted in as well as 750 base knocks so far this season, and their batting average sits at .246. The Royals have accumulated 154 two-baggers as a unit and have hit 93 baseballs out of the park. They have 418 runs while holding a team OBP of .306. As a squad, the Kansas City Royals are scoring 4.5 runs per game, which puts them at 13th in MLB.

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They have a K/BB ratio of 2.58 and their pitching staff has a collective WHIP of 1.27. Royals pitchers have surrendered 82 home runs and 362 runs in total (8th in the league). Kansas City has allowed 740 hits (8.3 per 9 innings) and 339 earned runs. The Royals have a team ERA of 3.79 this season (10th in baseball), and the staff has rung up 738 hitters. They have walked 286 hitters and their FIP comes in at 3.87 as a team for the year.

The Royals bullpen have recorded a save percentage of 64.7% and has come into the game in 77 save situations. The relief pitchers have inherited 124 runners so far this year with 26.6% of those runners crossed the plate. Royals pitchers have gone to the mound with opponents on base 71 times and also have had 84 appearances in high leverage situations. The Royals have dispatched 289 relievers to the hill this season. The relievers have racked up 42 holds on the season (20th in baseball). They have earned 22 saves over the course of the season and have missed out on 12 of their 34 save opportunities.

The Royals have turned 69.7% of balls hit into play into outs out of their 7,245 innings on the diamond, which ranks them 16th in baseball. The Kansas City Royals have accumulated 2,415 putouts for the season, in addition to 830 assists and 45 errors. Their fielding percentage sits at .986 which has them sitting 10th in professional baseball, and have a total of 69 double plays.

Wacha has thrown 1,371 innings and is sitting with 1,220 strikeouts in his pro baseball career. His earned run average is 3.95 (602 ER's allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.288. He has allowed 1,328 base knocks (8.7 hits per 9 innings) with 439 free passes. Wacha (93-60 career record) is the owner of a FIP of 3.89 while going up against 5,796 hitters during his time in the major leagues.

The Cardinals have a team slugging percentage of .380 and they score 4.08 runs per game (22nd in baseball). They have hit 138 doubles, while getting a free base 266 times as well as scoring 363 runs. St. Louis has hit 84 long balls this season and 341 runs batted in. They have been rung up on 753 occasions (15th in the league) and have 733 base hits. The St. Louis Cardinals have earned a team on-base percentage of .309 as well as a batting average of .243 on the season.

The St. Louis pitching staff have conceded 402 runs for the season while holding an ERA of 3.96 (349 earned runs allowed). They have conceded 91 home runs and they relinquish 4.56 runs per 9 innings (20th in MLB). The Cardinals have a team WHIP of 1.269 with a FIP of 3.89 as a staff for the year. Their K/BB ratio sits at 8.30 (736 strikeouts against 262 walks). They come in at 19th in the league as a pitching staff in total hits allowed with 746.

St. Louis has called on relievers to step onto the hill in 47 save opportunities and they have earned 34 saves. They rank 4th in baseball with a save percentage of 72.3%, and they have dispatched 285 relievers to the hill this season. Their relievers have taken the field 104 times in high leverage situations and on 93 occasions with runners on. St. Louis bullpen pitchers hold an inherited score percentage of 35.3% out of their 133 inherited base runners. Sitting with 120 save situations, the Cardinals have earned 73 holds in addition to 13 blown saves.

The St. Louis Cardinals have turned 91 double plays and have a fielding rate of .986 (13th in professional baseball). The Cardinals have accrued 822 assists, 46 errors and have earned a total of 2,383 putouts so far this year. In their 7,149 innings played, the Cardinals have earned a efficiency on defense of 69.1% (21st in professional baseball).

Pallante (14-9 career win-loss mark) is the owner of a 3.83 earned run average while conceding 9.6 hits per nine innings. He has a K/BB ratio of 1.71 and he has faced 952 hitters in his pro baseball career. He has allowed a total of 94 ER's while holding a WHIP of 1.466 and being the owner of a FIP of 3.8. During his pro baseball career, Pallante has allowed 235 hits and he has 152 strikeouts in 221 innings.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take St. Louis

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