Royals vs. Cardinals Prediction and Odds for Monday, May 2 (Struggling Lineups Gives Value on Under)

The 7-13 Kansas City Royals bring a three-game losing streak into St. Louis today as they take on their interstate rivals in the 12-9 Cardinals at 1:15 PM EST.

Zach Greinke and his 2.86 ERA are on the mound for Kansas City. He's still searching for his first victory of the season but has yet to surrender more than three runs in a start.

Opposing Greinke will be Steven Matz, who has a pair of poor starts and a couple of good ones thus far in 2021. He comes off a four-inning, four-run loss to the Mets but only gave up one run in his two starts prior to that.

Which Missouri team will reign supreme? Can Greinke get his first win of the campaign or will Matz notch his third?

Let's check out the odds from WynnBET as we find some value in this Royals vs Cardinals matchup:

Royals vs Cardinals Odds, Run Line and Total

Run Line:

• Royals +1.5 (-145)
• Cardinals -1.5 (+120)

Moneyline:

• Royals: +150
• Cardinals: -160

Total:

• 7.0 (Over -125/Under +105)

Royals vs Cardinals Prediction and Pick

The Royals were clobbered by the Yankees in their most recent series. They were outscored 21-6 over the three-game sweep and were in position to win yesterday before their bullpen imploded and gave up two runs on no hits to blow a lead in the 8th inning. Kansas City has lost eight of 10 but still find themselves competitive in the division due to a similarly poor start from the rest of the AL Central.

St. Louis is 2-5 in their last eight but have dominated the Royals recently, beating their cross-state rivals in seven of their last nine contests.

Steven Matz should have success against a Kansas City lineup that's really struggled against left-handers. The Royals rank 28th in OPS against southpaws and will also struggle against a Cardinals bullpen that boasts the 6th-best ERA in the league.

The Cardinals offense, meanwhile, has been inconsistent. In their most recent series against the Diamondbacks, for example, they scored eight and seven runs in two of the games, but just two and zero in the other two. Greinke has been strong to start the year and while Kansas City's bullpen is one of the worst in the sport, their elite defense should help keep the score down.

Both pitchers' are 3-1 to the under in their four starts this year. I expect that trend to continue in a low-scoring contest between inconsistent-at-best offenses. It's a low total, but don't be afraid. These lineups aren't scaring anyone.

Pick: Under 7 (+105)

Follow all of Joe Summers' betting picks here.