Royals vs. Cardinals Dunkel MLB Picks, Predictions and Prop Bets - June 18

The St. Louis Cardinals will look to Alec Burleson, riding a 17-game hitting streak, against the Kansas City Royals at 7:40 p.m. ET on Thursday, at Kauffman Stadium. Noah Cameron (3-4, 4.11 ERA) will start for the Royals, who are 30-45 this season and fifth in the AL Central. Matthew Liberatore (3-3, 4.71 ERA) is expected to start for the Cardinals, who are 40-32 and second in the NL Central.

Bookmakers expect a close matchup between the Royals (-117 to win) and the Cardinals (-105). The total for the Royals-Cardinals game is 8.5.

Royals vs. Cardinals Odds, Game Time

• Game day: Thursday, June 18, 2026
• Game time: 7:40 p.m. ET
• Location: Kansas City, Missouri
• Stadium: Kauffman Stadium
• Favorite: Royals (-117)
• Underdog: Cardinals (-105)
• Over/under: 8.5

How to Watch Royals vs. Cardinals

• TV Channel: ROYL and CARD
• Live Stream: Fubo (Watch for free)

Bet now on FanDuel Sportsbook!

Royals vs. Cardinals: Betting the Moneyline

• The Royals have put together a 15-18 record in games they were listed as the moneyline favorite (winning 45.5% of those games).
• St. Louis has come away with 28 wins in the 55 contests it has been listed as the underdogs in this season.
• Kansas City has entered 23 games this season favored by -117 or more and is 10-13 in those contests.
• The Cardinals have a mark of 24-24 in contests where bookmakers favor them by -105 or worse on the moneyline.
• The implied moneyline probablility for this matchup gives the Royals a 53.9% chance to win.
• The Cardinals have an implied victory probability of 51.2% according to the moneyline set for this matchup.

Royals vs. Cardinals: Betting the Spread & Total

• The Royals have played in 75 games with an over/under set, and have combined with their opponents to go over the total 34 times (34-40-1).
• So far this season, St. Louis and its opponents have hit the over in 28 of its 72 games with a total.
• The Royals are 32-43-0 against the spread this season.
• The Cardinals are 45-27-0 against the spread in their 72 games that had a posted line this season.