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The Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals square off on Monday with first pitch set for 1:15 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. Zack Greinke is off to a strong start in his second stint with the Royals, and Steven Matz will take the mound for the Cardinals.
Kansas City was swept at home over the weekend in three games against the New York Yankees. Greinke has a 2.86 ERA through four starts in his return to the Royals, coming off an outing in which he gave up 3 runs on 5 hits and no walks with 4 strikeouts in 6 runs. Kansas City has one of the worst offenses in the game, ranking No. 29 in runs per game. Andrew Benintendi is the team’s best hitter with a .366 batting average.
St. Louis split a four-game set with the Arizona Diamondbacks over the weekend. Matz has a 6.11 ERA through four starts this season and allowed 4 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks with 6 strikeouts over 4 innings of work in a victory over the New York Mets last week. The Cardinals rank in the middle of the pack in the major team batting statistics with a lineup that’s led by Nolan Arenado, who has a .368 batting average and .435 on-base percentage.
Royals vs. Cardinals
Pitchers: Zack Greinke vs. Steven Matz
First pitch: 1:15 p.m. ET
Royals local broadcast: Bally Sports Kansas City
Cardinals local broadcast: Bally Sports Midwest
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)
Moneyline odds: Cardinals -160, Royals +140
Picks & predictions
Moneyline pick: Royals +140
Kansas is not off to a great start this season with one of the worst records of baseball, but Greinke is still good enough that the potential return is worth it with these odds in this spot. He has been far better than Matz this year in a limited sample size, and the Royals are worth the risk Monday afternoon.
Player prop pick: Steven Matz U5.5 strikeouts (-135)
For as much as the Royals have struggled offensively in 2022, this is a lineup that does not strike out all that often as they rank No. 2 in the MLB in fewest strikeouts per game. Matz has done well in racking up strikeout numbers this season, but look for the Royals go get plenty of contact in this matchup.
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