St. Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals Prediction 5/17/25 MLB Picks

In this article, we will formulate a Cardinals vs Royals prediction for this MLB game on Saturday, May 17, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this MLB matchup.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Preview

The St. Louis Cardinals (25-20, 10-14 Away) are enjoying their best baseball of the season after winning six straight series, including the sweeps of the Pirates and Nationals. In Game 1 of the current series against the Royals, the Cards secured a convincing 10-3 victory. Ivan Herrera led the team with four RBI, while Andre Pallante got the win after allowing two runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and no walks across 7.0 innings of work.

This season, the Cardinals average 4.93 runs per game (6th in the MLB) on a .264/.338/.408 triple-slash. When it comes to pitching, the Cardinals’ staff has a 3.83 ERA (12th) and 1.23 WHIP (11th). Lars Nootbaar leads the Cardinals with a .260 batting average, seven home runs, and 24 RBI this season.

Miles Mikolas will take the mound for the Cardinals on Saturday. The 36-year-old right-hander has a 2-2 record in eight starts this year with a 4.35 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 39.1 innings.

Kansas City Royals Betting Preview

The Kansas City Royals (25-21, 16-8 Home) lost five of the previous six games following a positive run of seven victories. The Royals lost a series to the Red Sox and Astros and then succumbed to a 10-3 defeat in Game 1 of the series against the Cards. Cole Ragans took the loss after allowing four runs on five hits with seven strikeouts and no walks in 5.0 innings.

This year, the Royals average 3.41 runs per game (27th in the MLB) on a .242/.299/.363 triple-slash. When it comes to pitching, the Royals’ staff has a 3.16 ERA (2nd) and 1.18 WHIP (8th). Vinnie Pasquantino leads the Royals with a .220 batting average, seven home runs, and 26 RBI this season.

The projected starting pitcher for the Royals is Seth Lugo, who is 3-4 in nine starts this season, with a 3.02 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 56.2 innings.

Total Runs Facts

• Seven of the Royals’ last eight night games against National League opponents have gone UNDER the total runs line.
• Each of the Cardinals’ last four games as underdogs against the Royals have gone OVER the total runs line.
• The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Royals’ last seven games.
• The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in seven of the Cardinals’ last eight night games against AL Central opponents.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Royals rank 2nd in the league for ERA this season (3.16).
• The Royals rank 28th in the league for walks this season (117).
• The Cardinals rank 2nd in the league for batting average this season (.264).
• The Cardinals rank 2nd in the league for home runs allowed this season (35).

Cardinals vs Royals Prediction

The teams have traded victories in the past couple of years, each recording five of the previous ten H2H encounters. Seven of the last ten H2Hs went Over, including each of the previous five, and I am backing another Over on Saturday. Seth Lugo has better numbers than Miles Mikolas, but given how the Cards are playing of late, I am sure the visitors will cause him problems and score multiple runs off him early on. Lugo allowed a .424 BA in 33 at-bats against the Cardinals. Mikolas allowed a .267 BA in 101 at-bats against the Royals. He pitched very well recently, but the Royals know him and will surely score multiple runs in the opening five innings.