Cleveland Guardians vs Kansas City Royals Preview
The Guardians are hosting the Royals today at Progressive Field in Cleveland, and the game is set to get started at 6:40 PM ET. Triston McKenzie is starting for the Guardians, and the Royals are starting Seth Lugo. Kansas City is 36-25, while the Guardians are 39-20. Cleveland is currently in first place in the AL Central, while the Royals are in second.
The over/under line for Tuesday’s game is at 8.5 runs, and the Guardians are favored on the money line, with their odds sitting at -115 compared to the Royals at -103. BSKC is carrying the game on TV.
Check out BetCoco for Cleveland Guardians – Kansas City Royals odds
Cleveland Guardians Trends and Key Stats
- The Royals are 1-4 in their five most recent road games, including a 3-2 runline record.
- On the opposing side, the Guardians have a 3-2 (SU) record, along with a 1-4 record in their last five home contests.
- In their previous ten games, the Royals have recorded a 8-2 record as the favorite, while they have a 4-6 record as the underdog.
- The Guardians hold a 7-3 record as the favorite and a 6-4 record as the underdog.
Cleveland Guardians vs Kansas City Royals Prediction
To close out their series vs. the Padres, the Royals picked up a 4-3 win. Leading up to the game, they were the slight favorite at -127 on the money line. It was a three-run 4th inning that really turned things in their favor, and the Padres could only score two runs, both of which came in the 8th.
Cole Ragans put together a good start for the Royals, going six innings and giving up just one earned run, and picking up the win. Kansas City’s offense was carried by Nelson Velazquez, who went 1/1 with two RBIs.
Kansas City is 36-25 overall and four games behind the Guardians for the AL Central lead. The Royals will be on the road today to take on the Guardians. This season, they have gone 12-8 in divisional games. The Royals lost two of three in their most recent series vs. the Padres.
At home, the Royals have been strong, going 22-10 this season. On the road, they are just under .500 at 14-15. So far, they have really taken advantage of being the favorite, going 19-8 in those games. As the underdog, the Royals are an even 17-17 this year.
When the Royals are on the road, they have a run line record of 18-11, with an average run margin of 1.2 runs per game. They are 15-12 against the run line as the favorite and 23-11 as the underdog. Their road scoring margin is +0.7 runs per game, and they have covered the run line in two straight games.
Today’s over/under line for the Kansas City Royals’ game against the Cleveland Guardians is set at 8.5 runs. The Royals have played 59 games this season, and their combined run average is also 8.5 runs per game. Their over/under record for the season is 26-33, and when the line has been set at 8.5 runs, they are 7-14 in those games. So far this season, 13 of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8.5 runs, which is 21.3% of their games.
Seth Lugo has been dominant this season for the Royals and comes into the game with a record of 9-1 and an ERA of 1.72. This year, he has made 12 starts, and opponents are batting .210 off the right-hander. Lugo has made 10 quality starts this year and is coming off an outing in which he went six innings, giving up one earned run and getting the win. Looking back at his last four starts, Lugo has allowed just one earned run in three of them. His ERA on the road is 0.87 compared to 2.83 at home.
Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. have been a dynamic duo at the top of the Royals lineup this season, as Perez is batting .315 with a team-high 10 home runs, and Witt Jr. is hitting .313 with nine homers. Witt Jr. has been especially hot of late, going 11/31 in his last seven games. Vinnie Pasquantino has also been swinging a hot bat, going 9/23 with two homers in his last six games.
Overall, the Royals are 6th in scoring at 4.9 runs per game. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.5 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .252, which is 6th in the league, and are also near the top of the league in slugging percentage and OPS.
Cleveland closed out their series vs. the Nationals with a 5-2 loss. Heading into the game, the Guardians were the slight favorite at -133 on the money line. Things really got away from the Guardians in the 2nd inning, as the Nationals scored four runs in the inning. Cleveland’s offense scored their only two runs in the 2nd.
Carlos Carrasco got the start for the Guardians and took the loss. He only lasted four innings, giving up five earned runs. Will Brennan was hot at the plate, going 2/3 with a run scored. Daniel Schneemann only had one hit, but it was a double and drove in two runs.
Cleveland is 39-20 overall this season, putting them in 1st place in the AL Central. They hold a four-game lead over the Royals heading into today’s game, where they are at home. The Guardians went 10-5 in divisional games.
The Guardians have been really good at home this year, going 20-7, and they are 19-13 on the road. So far, they have been really good in day games, going 16-5 this year. Cleveland has won two straight games as the underdog. As the favorite, the Guardians are 27-12 this year, and they are 12-8 as the underdog. Today’s game marks the start of a new series, and they are 14-5 in series so far this year. Cleveland won the final two games of their series vs. the Nationals and are 7-3 in their last 10 games.
The Guardians have been a solid run line bet this season, going 33-26 overall. They are 15-12 against the run line at home and 18-14 on the road. As an underdog, they are 15-5 against the run line, and they have covered the run line in two straight games as the underdog.
Today’s over/under line of 8.5 runs for the Cleveland Guardians’ game against the Kansas City Royals is slightly higher than their season average of 8.0 runs per game. The Guardians have played 13 games with higher over/under lines than 8.5 runs, going 5-10 in those contests. Overall, the over/under record for Cleveland games this season is 29-26, and their games have averaged 8.8 runs per game.
Triston McKenzie gets the start for the Cleveland Guardians today as he faces the Royals at home. So far this season, he has made 11 starts and has a record of 2-3 with an ERA of 3.77. McKenzie has made three quality starts this year and is coming off an outing in which he gave up four earned runs in five innings of work. In that start vs. the Rockies, he gave up three homers. McKenzie has not taken the loss in any of his last three outings, finishing with a no-decision each time. His walk per nine innings figure is 5.34 compared to 8.48 strikeouts per nine innings.
Over his last eight games, José Ramírez has gone 10/30 with two homers and eight RBIs. For the season, he is batting .272 with a league-leading 57 RBIs and 16 homers, which is 4th best in the MLB. Josh Naylor comes into the game with the 2nd most RBIs on the team (42), but he is batting just .227 and has gone 4/33 in his last eight games.
As a team, the Guardians are 4th in the league in scoring at 5.1 runs per game. They have been even better on the road, averaging 5.2 runs per contest. Overall, they are one of the league’s top home run hitting teams and have the 6th best team batting average. Cleveland’s offense has been good at avoiding strikeouts this season.
We are predicting that the Guardians will pick up a 6-5 win over the Royals, and with them on the money line at -115, this is the way we recommend playing this one.
Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Seth Lugo going four innings and finishing with just four strikeouts. On the other side, Triston McKenzie is projected to finish with six strikeouts and go around five innings.
Cleveland Guardians vs Kansas City Royals Betting Tips
- Take the Royals on the moneyline
- The Guardians are also our pick on the run line at +1.5
- Projecting a combined 11 runs, we like the over
Cleveland Guardians Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Shane Bieber | Out | Elbow |
| Trevor Stephan | Out | Elbow |
| James Karinchak | Out | Shoulder |
| Eli Morgan | Out | Elbow |
| Gavin Williams | Out | Elbow |
Kansas City Royals Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Jordan Lyles | Out | Personal |
| Michael Wacha | Out | Foot |
| Brady Singer | Questionable | Illness |
| Josh Taylor | Out | Biceps |
| Kyle Wright | Out | Shoulder |
| Kris Bubic | Out | Elbow |
| Kyle Isbel | Questionable | Head |
| Michael Massey | Out | Back |
