Royals vs Tigers Picks and Prediction – 4/18/2025

In Friday night MLB action, the Kansas City Royals and the Detroit Tigers will continue their four-game series from Comerica Park. Be ready for the baseball season with all of our MLB predictions. The Royals (8-12) are looking to snap a four-game losing streak and are sitting in third place in the AL Central Division standings. Last night, Kansas City batters went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left ten men on base during a 6-1 road loss against Detroit. 

Twenty-seven year old southpaw Cole Ragans (1-0 2.28 ERA) has quietly developed into one of the better starting pitchers in baseball. Through 23 plus innings, Ragans has allowed just one home run and fanned 34 batters while posting a sparkling 0.93 WHIP.

The Detroit Tigers have won six of their first seven home games and hold a 1.5 game lead over Cleveland for the top spot in the AL Central Division. On Thursday, DH Spencer Torkelson went 3-for-4 with two RBIs to spark the Detroit offense. SP Reese Olson (2-1) fired five shutout frames and retired five batters by strikes to earn the win for the Tigers, who improved to 11-8 overall. 

Rookie right-hander Jackson Jobe (1-0 3.00 ERA) will make his fourth career major league start for the Tigers. Last time out, Jobe fired six shutout frames and issued just one walk during a 4-0 road victory against Minnesota. 

Kansas City 1B/OF Mark Canha (hip) began a rehab assignment with Omaha on Tuesday and could rejoin the lineup this weekend. Through 20 games, Kansas City ranks 29th in OPS and 27th in runs scored. For the regular season, Detroit ranks 12th in OPS and 10th in runs scored. Take the Royals to win on the road. Final Score Prediction, Kansas City Royals win 5-3.