Kansas City Royals vs St. Louis Cardinals Picks and Prediction for Sunday, May 17, 2026
Use Code WWWC The Kansas City Royals visit the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Sunday at 2:15 PM ET on MLB.TV. Kansas City is 19-26 and fourth in the AL Central, while St. Louis is 26-18 and second in the NL Central. The Cardinals beat the Royals 5-4 in 11 innings Friday night and have won three of their last four games overall. Cash in with our free MLB picks.
Royals Searching for Better Road Results
Kansas City is coming off a 5-4 extra-innings loss to St. Louis after being swept by the White Sox earlier in the week. The Royals have now lost five straight games and continue to struggle away from home with only six road victories this season. Kansas City has also allowed at least five runs in four of the last five games.
The Royals are hitting .239 with a .318 on-base percentage and .385 slugging percentage, producing 185 runs on 355 hits. Bobby Witt Jr. leads the lineup with a .309 batting average, seven home runs, 23 RBI, and 13 stolen bases. Maikel Garcia is batting .265 with 45 hits, while Carter Jensen has added six home runs and 19 RBI. Salvador Perez has contributed six home runs despite batting .200. Kansas City has totaled 44 home runs this season and continues to rely heavily on Witt for producing runs.
Pitching has been inconsistent thus far this season. Kansas City carries a 4.38 ERA and 1.38 WHIP while opponents are batting .240 against the staff. The Royals have recorded 384 strikeouts but also issued 196 walks through 45 games. The bullpen has struggled late in games recently, contributing to several losses during the current skid.
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Injuries: Bailey Falter, 15-Day IL, Cole Ragans, 15-Day IL, James McArthur, 60-Day IL, Anthony Simonelli, 60-Day IL, Javier Vaz, 60-Day IL
Cardinals Continuing to Produce Timely Offense
St. Louis opened this series with a 5-4 win in 11 innings after taking two of three games from the Athletics earlier in the week. The Cardinals continue to remain near the top of the NL Central standings because of timely hitting and solid bullpen work in close games.
The Cardinals are hitting .241 with a .323 on-base percentage and .392 slugging percentage, producing 204 runs on 359 hits. Jordan Walker has led the offense with a .303 batting average, 13 home runs, and 34 RBI. St. Louis has also totaled 51 home runs and scored at least five runs in three of the last four games. The lineup has continued to generate runs throughout the order instead of relying on one hitter consistently.
Pitching has also been solid overall for St. Louis. The Cardinals enter with a 4.24 ERA and 1.37 WHIP while holding opponents to a .252 batting average. St. Louis has recorded 319 strikeouts and allowed 47 home runs through 44 games. The bullpen delivered another strong performance Friday night by closing out the extra-innings victory over Kansas City.
Injuries: Matt Pushard, 15-Day IL, Ramon Urias, 10-Day IL, Lars Nootbaar, 60-Day IL, Ixan Henderson, 60-Day IL, Victor Santos, 60-Day IL
Pitching Matchup
Kansas City Royals – Stephen Kolek
Kolek is 1-0 with a 6.75 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over 10.2 innings. The right-hander has allowed nine hits with nine strikeouts while surrendering three home runs in two starts.
St. Louis Cardinals – Andre Pallante
Pallante is 4-3 with a 4.46 ERA and 1.37 WHIP across 42.1 innings. The right-hander has allowed 39 hits with 33 strikeouts and 19 walks this season.
Kansas City Royals vs St. Louis Cardinals Spread Pick
- Saint Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals have the advantage because of their stronger recent form and more consistent offensive output. St. Louis has won three of the last four games and continues to generate timely hitting late in games, while Kansas City enters on a five-game losing streak. With Kolek still searching for consistency early in the season, the Cardinals are in a favorable position to win at home.
Kansas City Royals vs St. Louis Cardinals Over/Under Pick
- Over
This game will cash over as both pitching staffs continue allowing baserunners at high rates. Kansas City has struggled to limit runs during the losing streak, while Pallante has issued 19 walks through 42.1 innings. Both lineups have enough power to capitalize on opportunities to produce enough runs to push the total over.
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