Kansas City Royals vs Detroit Tigers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/23/2025

Game Time: 6:10 pm ET, Saturday, August 23, 2025

Venue:  Comerica Park, Detroit, MI 

Where to Watch:  MLB.tv, FDSKC, FDSD

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Royals +104, Tigers -126; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Royals +105, Tigers -125; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Royals +105, Tigers -125; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Kansas City Royals:  66-62 (2nd place, AL Central)

Detroit Tigers:  76-53 (1st place, AL Central)

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Kansas City Royals:  8-2 last 10

Detroit Tigers:  8-2 last 10

The Royals are entering this series off a win and won their 4-game series against the Texas Rangers 3-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 66-62 record overall and have a road record of 30-32. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Tigers on Saturday with the series opener still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 23rd in the MLB with a .700 OPS. Rookie pitcher Ryan Bergert is their starting pitcher on Friday while Michael Wacha is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 8-9 with a 3.34 ERA this season. His team won their last 5 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 ER, 0 HR, and 0 BB with 3 SO on 9 hits through 5.2 IP against the Texas Rangers.

The Tigers are entering this series off a win and completed the sweep in their 3-game series against the Houston Astros 3-0. They enter this game with a 76-53 record overall and have a home record of 42-24. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Royals on Saturday with the series opener still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 9th in the MLB with a .739 OPS. Casey Mize is their starting pitcher on Friday while Chris Paddack is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 4-11 with a 5.10 ERA this season. His team lost 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 8 earned runs, 3 homers, and 3 walks with 4 strikeouts on 9 hits through 5.2 innings pitched against the Minnesota Twins.

The current betting odds have the Royals listed as a slight underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Tigers have looked great in their games this season with their 76-53 record overall which has them right at the top of the AL Central with one of the best records in the entire MLB. They have also looked great in their own ballpark this year with their 42-24 home record. Meanwhile, the Royals have looked good in their games this season with their 66-62 record overall which has them right near the top of the AL Central and in the Wild Card race. They haven't been a great road team though with their 30-32 road record this season. Both of these teams have been really hot lately as both are 8-2 in their last 10 games, but the Royals do have the better pitching matchup in this one and they can take advantage of that to take a game in this series. They are going with Wacha in this one and he has been a solid starter for them all year. He is 8-9 with a 3.34 ERA and the team has been having a lot of success with him lately. He only gave up 2 earned runs in his last start and the team has won 5 games in a row now with him starting too. The Tigers are going with Paddack in this one and he hasn't looked good this season. He is 4-11 with a 5.10 ERA and he was terrible when he was on the Twins earlier this year, being traded to the Tigers hasn't helped either. He is coming off another terrible start in which he gave up 8 earned runs, something that has been a common theme for him this year, and the team has lost 2 of their last 3 games with him starting too. This is the best chance the Royals have to steal a game in this series. The best way to place a bet here is on the Royals to win this game.  

Royals Tigers Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Saturday, August 23, 2025 (6:10 pm ET start time) is Royals 5 Tigers 3.

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Kansas City Royals: 210-248 (-11.4 units) on the moneyline in all games. 97-132 (-6.8 units) on the moneyline in road games. 114-176 (-14 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 or higher. 9-5 OVER on the road when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season.

Detroit Tigers: 244-217 (+34.3 units) on the moneyline in all games. 121-71 (+17 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -110 or higher. 89-57 (+31.1 units) on the moneyline against division opponents. 12-6 OVER vs. an AL starting pitcher whose ERA is 3.70 or better.

Kansas City Royals:  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. M. Massey (2B) Ten Day IL - Ankle. C. Ragans (SP) Sixty Day IL - Rotator Cuff. J. McArthur (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. A. Marsh (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder.

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.

“Now that [the homestand] is over, you reflect on what you’ve done, and it went well. There’s a lot of things that went our way. Some things didn’t, but you can’t be disappointed with that.” - Matt Quatraro after his team’s win against the Rangers in their game on Thursday.

“That’s about as impressive a collection of at-bats as you can ask for. From controlling the strike zone, drawing walks to not trying to do too much. Framber’s really good, and he’s one pitch away from getting out of any of the messes that he’s in. And yet, we still continue to pass the baton along to the next guy. Everybody had a better impact.” - A.J. Hinch after his team’s win against the Astros in their game on Wednesday.

Maikel Garcia (R) 3B

Bobby Witt Jr. (R) SS

Vinnie Pasquantino (L) 1B

Salvador Perez (R) DH

Randal Grichuk (R) RF

Jonathan India (R) 2B

Nick Loftin (R) LF

Luke Maile (R) C

Tyler Tolbert (R) CF

Jahmai Jones (R) RF

Gleyber Torres (R) 2B

Andy Ibáñez (R) 3B

Spencer Torkelson (R) 1B

Riley Greene (L) LF

Dillon Dingler (R) DH

Wenceel Pérez (S) CF

Javier Báez (R) SS

Jake Rogers (R) C

Batting Average:  Adam Frazier (.301)

Hits:  Bobby Witt (146)

Home Runs:  Vinnie Pasquantino (26)

RBI:  Vinnie Pasquantino (87)

Stolen Bases:  Bobby Witt (34)

Wins:  Kris Bubic (8)

Saves:  Carlos Estévez (33)

ERA:  Hunter Harvey (0.00)

Batting Average:  Brewer Hicklen (.667)

Hits:  Riley Greene (126)

Home Runs:  Riley Greene (29)

RBI:  Riley Greene (92)

Stolen Bases:  Zach McKinstry (19)

Wins:  Casey Mize (12)

Saves:  Will Vest (18)

ERA:  Kyle Finnegan (0.00)

Managers:

Kansas City Royals: Matt Quatraro (3rd season)

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