Cleveland Guardians vs Kansas City Royals Preview
Thursday’s matchup between the Royals and Guardians is set to get started at 1:10 PM ET from Progressive Field in Cleveland. The Guardians are the betting favorite, with their money line odds sitting at -151, while the Royals are at +127 on the money line. The over/under line is currently at 7.5 runs.
The Guardians will be sending Tanner Bibee to the mound vs. a Royals team that has Brady Singer starting. Kansas City is 2nd in the AL Central with a record of 36-26, while the Guardians are 1st in the division at 40-20. BSKC is carrying the game on TV.
Check out BetCoco for Cleveland Guardians – Kansas City Royals odds
Cleveland Guardians Trends and Key Stats
- 1-4 is the record of Royals in their last five road games. They have also gone 3-2 vs. the runline.
- On the other side, the Guardians have gone 3-2 (SU) and 1-4 in their previous five home contests.
- Over their last ten games when playing as the favorite, the Guardians have won 7-3 straight-up, and have a 4-6 record vs. the runline.
- When playing as the underdog, the Royals have won 4-6 of their previous ten games straight-up, while going 6-4 against the runline.
Cleveland rallied for five runs in the 7th inning in the most recent game of this series. The Guardians scored two runs in the 1st inning but didn’t score another run until putting up five in the 7th, picking up an 8-5 win over the Royals. Heading into the game, the Guardians were favored at -133 on the money line.
Triston McKenzie started for the Guardians, going just 5 1/3 innings while giving up five runs and striking out seven. Cade Smith got the win out of the bullpen, and Emmanuel Clase got the save. Sam Long took the loss for the Royals out of the bullpen.
Josh Naylor and Tyler Freeman each homered for the Guardians, while Bobby Witt Jr. hit two homers for the Royals. Naylor, Freeman, and Will Brennan each had two RBIs for Cleveland’s offense.
Cleveland Guardians vs Kansas City Royals Prediction
Kansas City is 2nd in the AL Central with a record of 36-26, putting them five games behind the Guardians for the division lead. The Royals lost the first game of this series vs. the Guardians and are just 3-7 across their last 10 games overall. So far, they have gone 12-9 in AL Central play.
As the underdog, the Royals have dropped three straight, and they are 17-18 as the underdog overall. At home, the Royals have gone 22-10 compared to 14-16 on the road. Kansas City’s overall series record is 10-9, but they have dropped two straight series.
When the Royals win, they win by an average of 4.0 runs per game. When they lose, they lose by an average of -2.8 runs per game. They are 38-24 on the run line this season, including 20-12 at home. They are 18-12 on the run line on the road, but have failed to cover the run line in their last two games as the favorite.
When the Kansas City Royals are on the road, the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs. The Royals and their opponents have combined to average 8.6 runs per game this season. Overall, the over/under record for the Royals is 27-33, and the average over/under line for their games is 8 runs. When the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs, the Royals’ record is 2-7. So far this season, 77.4% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 7.5 runs.
Right-hander Brady Singer is getting the start for the Royals today as he faces the Guardians on the road. He has made 11 starts this season and has a record of 4-2 with an ERA of 2.63. Singer’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.12. In his 11 appearances, he has turned in four quality starts and is averaging 9.34 strikeouts per nine innings. Singer most recently faced the Rays, where he finished with a no-decision, giving up one earned run in five innings of work. Before that outing, he had won two straight starts.
As a team, the Royals are 6th in the league in scoring, averaging 4.9 runs per game. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.5 runs per game. Overall, they are one of the league’s top home run-hitting teams and have the 6th best team batting average in the MLB. Kansas City also does a good job of putting the ball in play, as they have the league’s 2nd fewest strikeouts.
Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez have been two of the league’s best hitters this season, with Witt Jr. batting .319 and Perez right behind him at .315. Witt Jr. has been especially hot of late, going 10/23 in his last five games and driving in nine runs during that stretch. Witt Jr. also leads the team with 11 homers, which is 9th best in the league, and his 46 RBIs is 5th in the MLB.
Cleveland comes into today’s game vs. the Royals with a record of 40-20, good for 1st place in the AL Central. They currently lead the Royals by five games for the top spot in the division. So far, they have gone 11-5 in divisional matchups this year.
The Guardians have taken the first game of this series vs. the Royals and have an overall series record of 14-5 this year. At home, the Guardians are 21-7 this year compared to an 19-13 mark on the road. They have been really good in day games, going 17-5 this year.
When the Cleveland Guardians are favored, they are just 19-21 on the run line, but as an underdog, they are 15-5. Their average run margin in winning games is 3.6, while in losses, it is -3.0. Overall, they are 34-26 on the run line this season, including 16-12 at home and 18-14 on the road.
When the Cleveland Guardians play at home, the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs. The Guardians have played 40 games this season where the over/under line was higher than 7.5 runs, which is 66.7% of their games. Their combined run average is 8.8 runs per game, and their over/under record is 30-26 overall. When the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs, their record is 11-4, and the average over/under line for their games is 8 runs.
Cleveland is sending Tanner Bibee to the mound today vs. the Royals, and he has made 12 starts this season. Bibee’s record is 4-1, and he has an ERA of 3.74 to go along with a WHIP of 1.17. So far, he has turned in four quality starts and is averaging 9.55 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, Bibee picked up the win, going 6 1/3 innings and giving up just one earned run. Before that, he had given up at least one homer in three straight outings. Bibee has been much better on the road, with an ERA of 2.46 compared to 6.01 at home.
Currently, the Guardians are the top-scoring team in the league, averaging 5.1 runs per game. They have been even better on the road, putting up 5.2 runs per contest. Cleveland has a team batting average of .238, which is 13th in the league, and they are also near the top of the league in terms of fewest strikeouts per game. The Guardians have two players with 16 homers this season, with José Ramírez and Josh Naylor both tied for 4th in the league in that category.
David Fry has been a nice surprise for the Guardians this season, as he is batting .342 with eight homers. He has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 7/25 in his last seven games with two homers. José Ramírez has also been swinging a hot bat, going 9/29 in his last eight games. Steven Kwan is on a three-game hitting streak for the Guardians.
Our predicted score for this one is a 6-5 win for the Royals, and with the payout for a money line bet on the Royals sitting at +127, that’s the way we recommend playing this one.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Brady Singer has a higher projected strikeout total than Tanner Bibee, and we also have him going deeper into the game. Singer is projected to finish with seven strikeouts compared to Bibee’s seven.
Cleveland Guardians vs Kansas City Royals Betting Tips
- We like the Royals on the moneyline (+127)
- The Royals are also our pick on the spread 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 | Probable | Illness |
| Josh Taylor | Out | Biceps |
| Kyle Wright | Out | Shoulder |
| Kris Bubic | Out | Elbow |
| Michael Massey | Out | Back |
