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USA Today
7 days ago
- Business
- USA Today
Kansas City Royals at St. Louis Cardinals odds, picks and predictions
Kansas City Royals at St. Louis Cardinals odds, picks and predictions The Kansas City Royals (31-29) and the St. Louis Cardinals (33-26) open a 3-game interleague series at Busch Stadium Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. ET. Let's analyze FanDuel Sportsbook's MLB odds around the Royals vs. Cardinals odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets. Season series: Cardinals lead 2-1 The Royals are coming off of back-to-back 1-0 pitchers' duels at home against the Detroit Tigers over the weekend. They won one behind RHP Michael Wacha Saturday, while LHP Kris Bubic was on the short end of a hard-luck loss Sunday despite 7 strong innings. Despite Sunday's shutout loss, C Salvador Perez was able to collect 3 hits in 4 at-bats, while SS Bobby Witt Jr. had the team's only extra-base hit in his 4 at-bats. The Cardinals were run over in Arlington in an interleague series with the Texas Rangers over the weekend. While St. Louis did win 2-0 in the middle game behind RHP Sonny Gray Saturday, the Cards were flattened 11-1 in the series opener Friday, while falling 8-1 in Sunday's series finale. 1B Willson Contreras drove in the only run Sunday, a 2-out RBI single in the top of the first inning. The Over has cashed at a 4-1 clip in the past 5 games for the Cardinals, while St. Louis is a healthy 6-3 in the past 9 games since May 23. The Royals have dropped 6 of the past 9 outings since May 23, while losing 3 straight series. The Under is on a 3-1 run in the previous 4 outings. These teams met May 16-18 in Kansas City, with the Cardinals winning 10-3 in the series opener as moderate underdogs (+130) and 1-0 in the middle game as slight 'dogs (+100). The Royals salvaged the finale behind Wacha, the former Cardinal, cashing at even-money (+100) as the Under (8) hit for a second straight meeting. Royals at Cardinals projected starters RHP Michael Lorenzen vs. RHP Andre Pallante Lorenzen (3-6, 4.33 ERA) makes his 12th start. He has a 1.40 WHIP, 2.7 BB/9 and 7.5 K/9 in 62 1/3 innings. Last start: Loss, 5 IP, 6 ER, 11 H (1 HR), 3 BB, 2 K in 7-4 home setback vs. Cincinnati Reds May 26 2025 road starts: 1-5, 5.17 ERA (38 1/3 IP, 22 ER), 1.46 WHIP, 7.7 K/9, 8 HR in 7 starts 2024 vs. Cardinals: 1 home start (Aug. 9), no-decision, 4 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 6 H (2 HR), 2 BB, 3 K in 8-5 loss Career vs. Cardinals: 4-3, 2.51 ERA (61 IP, 17 ER), 1.25 WHIP, 7.5 K/9, 4 HR in 3 starts and 33 relief appearances Pallante (4-3, 4.23 ERA) makes his 13th start. He has a 1.36 WHIP, 3.4 BB/9 and 6.1 K/9 in 61 2/3 innings. Last start: No-decision, 5 2/3 IP, 3 ER (4 R), 6 H (1 HR), 3 BB, 8 K in 7-4 road win vs. Baltimore Orioles May 27 2025 home stats: 2-1, 3.86 ERA (21 IP, 9 ER), 1 HR, 12 BB, 11 K in 4 starts 2025 vs. Royals: 1 road start (May 16), win, 7 IP, 2 ER, 7 H (1 HR), 0 BB, 4 K in 10-3 victory Career vs. Royals: 1-1, 3.86 ERA (21 IP, 9 ER), 2 HR, 5 BB, 13 K in 3 starts and 1 relief appearance Win your fantasy baseball league with For decades, BHQ has been helping players just like you win! BHQ offers full-season subscriptions. Sign up today and start winning! Royals at Cardinals odds Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 8:01 p.m. ET. Moneyline (ML) : Royals +124 (bet $100 to win $124) | Cardinals -146 (bet $146 to win $100) : Royals +124 (bet $100 to win $124) | Cardinals -146 (bet $146 to win $100) Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS) : Royals +1.5 (-176) | Cardinals -1.5 (+146) : Royals +1.5 (-176) | Cardinals -1.5 (+146) Over/Under (O/U): 8.5 (O: -120 | U: -102) Royals at Cardinals picks and predictions Prediction Cardinals 5, Royals 3 The CARDINALS (-146) are worth playing lightly behind Pallante, as he has pitched pretty well at home, while managing to keep the ball in the yard. The latter part is key. Lorenzen has struggled everywhere lately, and he was shaky in his first appearance this season against the Cardinals, while allowing a pair of big flies. If you're a little more on the adventurous side, CARDINALS -1.5 (+146) is worth a roll of the dice at plus-money. While each of the last 2 meetings between these Show-Me State rivals was decided by just 1 run, the Cardinals have won by an average of 2.33 runs per game in the past 3 victories since May 27. The Royals, on the other hand, are 10-3 in their last 13 games as underdogs on the run line, so tread lightly. UNDER 8.5 (-102) is worth playing lightly, but go with a half-unit play at most. While the Cardinals have cashed high in 4 of the past 5 games, the Under cashed in 2 of the 3 meetings with the Royals earlier this season. And, the Under has a slight 5-4-1 edge in the past 10 starts by Pallante, including 2-1 in his past 3 at home. The Under is 3-1 in the past 4 games for the Royals, while going 5-3 in the past 8 interleague battles. The Under is 6-2 in the past 8 outings on the road, too. Play our free daily Pick'em Challenge and win! Play now! For more sports betting picks and tips, check out and BetFTW. Follow @danieledobish on Twitter/X. 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Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fantasy baseball DH rankings: Shohei Ohtani in class by himself, but others still worthy
USA TODAY and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article. Pricing and availability subject to change. The list of top desingated hitters is frankly not an optimal place to be included because it means you didn't do a whole lot else. (Unless, of course, your name is Shohei Ohtani.) But the DH spot produced not just Ohtani, but three of the top 10 hitters in all of fantasy baseball last season. The Athletics' Brent Rooker and the Braves' Marcell Ozuna were extremely valuable assets in 2024 (with Kyle Schwarber not too far behind). They all figure to be up there again this year, so find your position flexibility elsewhere and don't worry about locking up that utility spot. Beyond those top four, you'll probably want someone with at least a chance of getting in-season eligibility in the field. Rank Player Team League 1 Shohei Ohtani LAD NL1 2 Brent Rooker Ath AL1 3 Kyle Schwarber Phi NL2 4 Marcell Ozuna Atl NL3 5 Joc Pederson Tex AL2 6 Kyle Manzardo Cle AL3 7 Giancarlo Stanton NYY AL4 8 Masataka Yoshida Bos AL5 9 Kris Bryant Col NL4 10 Eloy Jimenez TB AL6 For more in-depth fantasy baseball stats and analysis, subscribe to The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fantasy baseball rankings 2025: Top 10 designated hitters
USA Today
24-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Fantasy baseball shortstop rankings: Bobby Witt Jr. leads elite crop
Fantasy baseball shortstop rankings: Bobby Witt Jr. leads elite crop Show Caption Hide Caption Johnny Damon says Dodgers will win World Series again in 2025 Johnny Damon explains why he thinks the Dodgers and Yankees are bound for a rematch, but why the former is an easy choice to win again. Sports Seriously Shortstop is where the most talented players in the majors most frequently reside. And the position is loaded this season, with several intriguing prospects on the way. With his five-category excellence and his pristine health history, Bobby Witt Jr. is the No. 1 overall player in fantasy for 2025. His value is even more pronounced in American League-only formats, with only Gunnar Henderson in his stratosphere. Corey Seager has missed chunks of the past two seasons with injuries, but still hit at least 30 homers both times. Also, the Angels' Zach Neto (23 HR, 30 SB in 2024) and Rays newcomer Ha-Seong Kim are coming off shoulder surgeries. In the National League, Elly De La Cruz offers a tantalizing package of raw power and an MLB-leading 67 stolen bases. Veterans Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor and Trea Turner remain elite talents, with considerably less risk. Willy Adames is coming off a career year (32 HR, 112 RBI, 21 SB), but now plays in pitcher-friendly San Francisco. If you're looking to address a particular category, CJ Abrams (stolen bases), Ezequiel Tovar (home runs) and Xavier Edwards (batting average) can help. 2025 fantasy baseball shortstop rankings Rank Player Team League 1 Bobby Witt Jr. KC AL1 2 Gunnar Henderson Bal AL2 3 Elly DeLaCruz Cin NL1 4 Mookie Betts-OF LAD NL2 5 Francisco Lindor NYM NL3 6 Trea Turner Phi NL4 7 Corey Seager Tex AL3 8 Oneil Cruz-OF Pit NL5 9 Willy Adames SF NL6 10 CJ Abrams Was NL7 11 Bo Bichette Tor AL4 12 Matt McLain-2B Cin NL8 13 Xander Bogaerts-2B SD NL9 14 Anthony Volpe NYY AL5 15 Ezequiel Tovar Col NL10 16 Xavier Edwards Mia NL11 17 Carlos Correa Min AL6 18 Dansby Swanson ChC NL12 19 Zach Neto LAA AL7 20 Jeremy Peña Hou AL8 21 Masyn Winn StL NL13 22 Ceddanne Rafaela-OF Bos AL9 23 Tyler Ftzgerald SF NL14 24 Trevor Story Bos AL10 25 Willi Castro-2B/3B/OF Min AL11 26 Ha-Seong Kim TB AL12 27 Kristian Campbell Bos AL13 28 Brooks Lee Min AL14 29 J.P. Crawford Sea AL15 30 Jordan Lawlar Ari NL15 31 Dylan Moore-2B/3B/OF Sea AL16 32 Jose Caballero-2B/3B TB AL17 33 Orlando Arcia Atl NL16 34 Geraldo Perdomo Ari NL17 35 Trey Sweeney Det AL18 36 Brayan Rocchio Cle AL19 37 Jacob Wilson Ath AL20 38 Luisangel Acuna NYM NL18 39 Isiah Kiner-Falefa-2B/3B Pit NL19 40 Carson Williams TB AL21 For more in-depth fantasy baseball stats and analysis, subscribe to
