Detroit Tigers vs Kansas City Royals Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/29/2025

Game Time: 8:10 pm ET, Friday, August 29, 2025

Venue:  Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO

Where to Watch:  FDSD, FDSKC

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Tigers +101, Royals -123; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Tigers +100, Royals -120; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Tigers +100, Royals -120; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Detroit Tigers:  78-57 (1st place, AL Central)

Kansas City Royals:  69-65 (2nd place, AL Central)

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Detroit Tigers:  5-5 last 10

Kansas City Royals:  6-4 last 10

The Tigers are entering this series off a loss and got swept in their 3-game series against the Athletics 3-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 78-57 record overall and have a road record of 34-32. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Royals on Friday and they have Thursday off as a day of rest. Their offense ranks 10th in the MLB with a .741 OPS. Casey Mize was their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Chris Paddack is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 5-11 with a 4.98 ERA this season. His team won 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 1 ER, 0 HR, and 1 BB with 1 SO on 5 hits through 5 IP against the Kansas City Royals.

The Royals are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Chicago White Sox 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 69-65 record overall and have a home record of 36-30. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Tigers on Friday and they have Thursday off as a day of rest. Their offense ranks 22nd in the MLB with a .702 OPS. Rookie pitcher Ryan Bergert was their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Seth Lugo is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 8-6 with a 3.99 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 6 earned runs, 2 homers, and 2 walks with 5 strikeouts on 6 hits through 4.1 innings pitched against the Detroit Tigers.

The current betting odds have the Royals listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Royals have looked good in their games this season with their 69-65 record overall which has them right near the top of the AL Central and in the Wild Card race. They have looked better in their own ballpark too with their 36-30 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Tigers have looked great in their games this season with their 78-57 record overall which has them right at the top of the AL Central with one of the best records in the MLB. They have been a good road team too with their 34-32 road record this season. They haven't looked great lately though as they are only 5-5 in their last 10 games while the Royals are 6-4 in their last 10 and have been the hotter team lately. The Tigers also got swept by the Athletics in their last series and the Royals can take advantage of them in a mini slump since they do have the better pitching matchup here. Lugo is on the mound for the Royals in this one and he has looked good this season. He is 8-6 with a 3.99 ERA and has looked good for most of the season. He did give up 6 earned runs in his last start, but that hasn't been a common theme for him this year and the team has still won 2 games in a row now with him starting. The Tigers are going with Paddack in this one and he hasn't looked good this season. He is 5-11 with a 4.98 ERA and has been giving up a ton of runs all year. He only gave up 1 earned run in his last start, but that hasn't been a common theme for him this year. The Royals have been putting up a lot more runs lately too so look for them to stay hot at home. The best way to place a bet here is on the Royals to win this game. 

Tigers Royals Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, August 29, 2025 (8:10 pm ET start time) is Royals 6 Tigers 5.

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Detroit Tigers: 246-221 (+30.2 units) on the moneyline in all games. 121-113 (+25.3 units) on the moneyline in road games. 109-139 (+10.5 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 or higher. 6-2 UNDER after getting shut out. 

Kansas City Royals: 213-251 (-11.4 units) on the moneyline in all games. 90-101 (-10 units) on the moneyline when the money line is +125 to -125. 166-194 (-6.8 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 20-13 UNDER after scoring 10 runs or more.

Detroit Tigers:  M. Vierling (CF) Ten Day IL - Oblique. P. Sewald (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. P. Meadows (CF) Ten Day IL - Quad. R. Olson (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. S. Guenther (RP) Sixty Day IL - Hip. J. Jobe (SP) Sixty Day IL - Flexor. J. Foley (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. A. Cobb (SP) Sixty Day IL - Hip. T. Madden (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. J. Urquidy (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Kansas City Royals:  B. Falter (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Biceps. H. Harvey (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Abductor. S. Cruz (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Shoulder. K. Bubic (SP) Sixty Day IL - Rotator Cuff. J. Caglianone (RF) Ten Day IL - Hamstring. C. Ragans (SP) Sixty Day IL - Rotator Cuff. J. McArthur (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. A. Marsh (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder.

“We had a really [bad] series. We didn’t play well. We got beat on all facets of the game. I think when you get outplayed on offense, defense, pitching, kind of across the board, it’s painful to watch sometimes and painful to experience as a team.” - A.J. Hinch after his team’s loss against the A’s in their game on Wednesday.

“There were a lot of big parts to that inning. Getting it started, getting on the board, that was big. Bobby, two strikes. Vinnie against the lefty. Salvy coming back around. Each one of those runs are enormous because it gives you more time, more breathing room for Bergert to work.” - Matt Quatraro after his team’s win against the White Sox in their game on Wednesday.

Colt Keith (L) DH

Gleyber Torres (R) 2B

Kerry Carpenter (L) RF

Riley Greene (L) LF

Spencer Torkelson (R) 1B

Wenceel Pérez (S) CF

Zach McKinstry (L) 3B

Dillon Dingler (R) C

Trey Sweeney (L) SS

Mike Yastrzemski (L) RF

Bobby Witt Jr. (R) SS

Vinnie Pasquantino (L) 1B

Maikel Garcia (R) 3B

Salvador Perez (R) C

Adam Frazier (L) 2B

Jonathan India (R) DH

Michael Massey (L) LF

Kyle Isbel (L) CF

Batting Average:  Brewer Hicklen (.667)

Hits:  Riley Greene (133)

Home Runs:  Riley Greene (32)

RBI:  Riley Greene (99)

Stolen Bases:  Zach McKinstry (19)

Wins:  Casey Mize (12)

Saves:  Will Vest (19)

ERA:  Kyle Finnegan (0.00)

Batting Average:  Adam Frazier (.302)

Hits:  Bobby Witt (155)

Home Runs:  Vinnie Pasquantino (28)

RBI:  Vinnie Pasquantino (94)

Stolen Bases:  Bobby Witt (34)

Wins:  Kris Bubic (8)

Saves:  Carlos Estévez (35)

ERA:  Hunter Harvey (0.00)

Managers:

Detroit Tigers: A.J. Hinch (5th season)

Kansas City Royals: Matt Quatraro (3rd season)