St. Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals Picks and Prediction for Sunday, June 21, 2026
Use Code WWWC The St. Louis Cardinals visit the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Sunday at 2:10 PM ET on MLB.TV. St. Louis enters at 40-34 and sits in the middle of the NL playoff race, while Kansas City is 32-45 and trying to build momentum after a strong week. The Royals have won three straight games and have taken the first two contests of this series, including a 14-6 victory on Thursday and a 6-5 win on Friday. St. Louis has now lost three consecutive games after winning back-to-back contests against San Diego earlier in the week. Build your bankroll with our free MLB picks.
Cardinals Trying to Stop Three-Game Skid
St. Louis has been one of the more balanced offensive teams in baseball this season. The Cardinals rank 11th in MLB with 337 runs scored and have produced a .247 batting average, .325 on-base percentage, and .396 slugging percentage. Jordan Walker continues to pace the lineup with 18 home runs, 58 RBI, and a .295 batting average, while Alec Burleson has added 13 home runs and 54 RBI. Ivan Herrera has been a consistent table-setter with a .401 OBP, and JJ Wetherholt has contributed 46 runs scored.
The recent slide has been driven more by pitching than offense. St. Louis has surrendered 26 runs over the first two games of this series and has allowed 35 runs across its last five contests. Even so, the Cardinals still own a respectable 4.22 team ERA and rank 17th in MLB pitching. St. Louis remains competitive because of its ability to generate offense throughout the lineup and get quality starts from the rotation.
Injuries: Ryan Fernandez, 15-Day IL; Sem Robberse, 60-Day IL; Victor Santos, 60-Day IL; Ixan Henderson, 60-Day IL; Zack Thompson, 60-Day IL.
Get Free $30 Credit for Premium Picks + Exclusive Discounts
Subscribe Now
Royals Building Momentum at Home
Kansas City enters Sunday playing some of its best baseball of the season. The Royals have won three straight games and scored 26 runs during that stretch. After struggling offensively for much of the first half, Kansas City has finally started getting contributions throughout the lineup while taking advantage of favorable matchups at home.
The Royals are hitting .247 as a team with a .320 OBP and .392 slugging percentage. Bobby Witt Jr. remains the catalyst when healthy, leading the club with a .294 average, 88 hits, and 28 stolen bases. Jac Caglianone has supplied 10 home runs and a .452 slugging percentage, while Carter Jensen leads the roster with 38 RBI. Kansas City ranks just behind St. Louis in most offensive categories, but has been producing timely hits throughout this winning streak.
Pitching has been a challenge all season for the Royals, who own a 4.48 ERA and 1.38 WHIP. However, Kansas City has received improved starting pitching recently and enters this matchup with confidence after limiting St. Louis to 11 total runs across the first two games of the series.
Injuries: Anthony Simonelli, 60-Day IL; Bobby Witt Jr., Day-To-Day; Maikel Garcia, Day-To-Day; Javier Vaz, 60-Day IL; Tyson Guerrero, 60-Day IL.
Pitching Matchup
- St. Louis Cardinals – Dustin May (Right-Hander)
May enters with a 5-6 record, 3.75 ERA, and 1.14 WHIP across 81.2 innings. The right-hander has been outstanding recently, throwing a complete-game shutout against San Diego while allowing just one hit and striking out nine. Over his last four starts, May has posted a 1.73 ERA and has allowed only four earned runs in 27.2 innings.
- Kansas City Royals – Stephen Kolek (Right-Hander)
Kolek is 4-1 with a 2.68 ERA and 1.03 WHIP through 50.1 innings. The right-hander has been dominant at Kauffman Stadium, posting a 1.32 home ERA across four starts. Kolek also shut out St. Louis over 6.1 innings earlier this season and has allowed just three earned runs over his last 19.1 innings.
St. Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals Pick
- Kansas City Royals ML
Kansas City enters with all the momentum after winning three straight games and taking the first two contests of this series. Kolek has been excellent at home and already has success against the Cardinals this season. While St. Louis owns slightly better season-long numbers, the Royals have been playing better baseball recently and should have the edge behind another strong outing from Kolek.
St. Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals Over/Under Pick
- Under
Both starting pitchers are in strong form entering Sunday. May has allowed three earned runs over his last three starts, while Kolek owns a 2.68 ERA and has been especially effective at home. With two right-handers pitching well and both offenses facing quality starters, runs should be harder to find than they were in the first two games of the series. Expect a lower-scoring finale at Kauffman Stadium.
Never Tried Winners and Whiners? Now Is Your Chance
- Get your first daily picks package for ONLY $1 using coupon code DOLLAR
- If the pick loses, we credit your account with 3 Flex Picks
- If the pick wins, we still give you 1 Flex Pick on the house
- Win or lose, you walk away ahead. One dollar. No catch.
- Check out more MLB predictions
Up To $1500 in Bonus Bets Paid Back if your First Bet Does Not Win
New Users – Bet $5 Get $200 in Bet Reset Tokens for 5 Days
