Father’s Day Game: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Kansas City Royals Analysis

Happy Father’s Day! Celebrating today by heading to the baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals. A special day to appreciate the role of fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and father figures everywhere.

The St. Louis Cardinals, expected to have a challenging season, traded away key players in the offseason, including their top pitcher, Sonny Gray, and hitters Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras. Despite these departures, the team’s young players are stepping up. The Cardinals have hit .247 as a team and averaged 4.5 runs per game. Although they’ve lost their last three games and struggled on the road, there is optimism for the future.

Dustin May will start for the Cardinals. His performance this season has been impressive, with a 3.75 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. However, he struggles in day games with a 5.73 ERA. Notably, his last outing was a complete-game shutout against the San Diego Padres, allowing just one hit and one walk.

The Kansas City Royals, despite high expectations, sit 13 games below .500. They need a strong run to compete in their division. Their roster looks promising but has underperformed. The team’s pitching has been a weakness with an ERA of 4.48 compared to the Cardinals’ 4.22. Stephen Kolek will pitch for the Royals, sporting a 2.68 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. At home, he’s allowed only four earned runs over 27.1 innings.

The matchup between May and Kolek suggests a low-scoring game. Both pitchers are in good form, with May not allowing runs in his last 15 innings. Kolek excels at home and could keep the Cardinals’ lineup in check. The recommendation here is to take the under nine runs and favor the Royals, especially with Kolek pitching well as a slight underdog.

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