| MATCHUP | St. Louis Cardinals | Kansas City Royals |
|---|---|---|
| Team Records | 40-33 | 31-45 |
| Spread | -1.5 129 | +1.5 -156 |
| Moneyline | -125 | +104 |
| Total | Over 9 (-118) | Under 9 (-102) |
| Where | Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri | |
| When | Friday, June 19, 2026 | |
| Time | 08:15 PM EDT | |
| TV | Apple TV | |
St. Louis Cardinals Betting Preview
The St. Louis Cardinals are 40-33 on the year and play the Diamondbacks and Marlins next. The St. Louis Cardinals are batting .247 on the season, with a .325 OBP and a .396 slugging percentage. The St. Louis Cardinals’ pitching staff has a 4.19 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. Jordan Walker leads the St. Louis Cardinals with 83 hits and 57 RBI, while Alec Burleson and Ivan Herrera have combined for 151 hits and 85 RBI.
Michael McGreevy gets the ball for the St. Louis Cardinals, and he is 3-5 with a 2.99 ERA and 51 strikeouts this season. This will be McGreevy’s first career game against the Kansas City Royals.
Kansas City Royals Betting Preview
The Kansas City Royals are 31-45 on the year and play the Rays and White Sox next. The Kansas City Royals are batting .246 on the season, have a .320 OBP, and have a .390 slugging percentage. The Kansas City Royals pitching staff has a 4.48 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. Bobby Witt Jr. leads the Kansas City Royals with 88 hits and 32 RBI, while Maikel Garcia and Jac Caglianone have combined for 132 hits and 52 RBI.
Seth Lugo gets the ball for the Kansas City Royals, and he is 2-4 with a 3.86 ERA and 66 strikeouts this season. Lugo is 2-0 with a 3.14 ERA and 30 strikeouts in his career against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Why the Kansas City Royals will win
- The underdogs have won three of the last four games between the Cardinals and Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
- The Cardinals have lost seven of their last 11 games as road favorites after playing the previous day.
- The Royals have covered the run line in each of their last six games as underdogs against the Cardinals following a win.
- The Cardinals have failed to cover the run line in seven of their last eight games against the Royals following a loss.
Why the St. Louis Cardinals will win
- The Royals have lost each of their last seven games against the Cardinals at Kauffman Stadium following a home win.
- The Cardinals have won each of their last five games at Kauffman Stadium following a road loss.
- The Cardinals have covered the run line in each of their last nine Friday games.
- The Royals have failed to cover the run line in each of their last six home games against NL Central opponents following a home win.
- The Royals have trailed after 5 innings in four of their last five games as home underdogs.
Total Runs Facts
- Each of the Cardinals’ last four games as favorites has gone UNDER the total runs line.
- Six of the Royals’ last seven home games against National League opponents have gone OVER the total runs line.
- The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of Michael McGreevy’s last five appearances as a starter.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in six of the Royals’ last seven home games against National League opponents.
St. Louis Cardinals Player Prop Facts
- Ivan Herrera ranks 8th amongst qualified players for On Base Percentage (.396) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Royals rank 24th in the league for home runs this season (72).
- The Royals rank 24th in the league for home runs allowed this season (93).
- The Cardinals are one of only four teams in the league to rank in the top 10 in both strikeouts and on-base percentage this season.
- The Cardinals rank 6th in the league for strikeouts against this season (579).
St. Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals Prediction
The Royals are a team I’ve faded a lot this season, and they’ve had issues stringing wins together. McGreevy has also been a top-20 starter in baseball this season with a 2.99 ERA and 1.11 WHIP through 78.1 innings. McGreevy has allowed 2 or fewer earned runs in 7 of his last 9 starts. Lugo will pitch for the first time in 9 days after dealing with a concussion. In 44.1 innings, Lugo has a 4.06 ERA and a .260 batting average allowed. Give me the Cardinals behind a strong pitching option.