Kansas City Royals vs. Cleveland Indians – 9/2/20 MLB Pick, Odds, and Prediction
2020-09-02 20:05:00 EDT
The Cleveland Indians and the Kansas City Royals meet Wednesday in MLB action from Kauffman Stadium.
This will be the final matchup in a three-game set between these teams this week. In the series opener on Monday, the Royals eked out a 2-1 victory. In game two on Tuesday the Indians evened up the series with a high-flying 10-1 win. Check back all season long for free MLB picks and MLB predictions at Sports Chat Place.
The Indians were on fire offensively from the get-go on Tuesday, ripping five runs in the first two innings. Cleveland out-hit KC 17-7 there, and had a great night at the plate. Franmil Reyes was the top hitter with a 5-for-5 night, adding a solo homer and two runs. Starter Zach Please went 6.0 innings with four hits, one earned and six strikeouts.
For the starting pitcher role on Wednesday, Cleveland is sending Triston McKenzie to the mound. This is the 23-year-old McKenzie’s first MLB season, and he’s done quite well so far. Over two starts, he’s 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 10.0 innings total.
Over on the Royals’ side, they got off to a bad pace Tuesday as starter Matt Harvey gave up five earned on six hits in 1.1 innings with three homers allowed. Nicky Lopez was the only batter with more than one hit, going 2-for-4.
As the Wednesday starting pitcher, Kansas City is going with Jakob Junis. In his three starts without a decision this year, Junis has a 4.26 ERA with 10 Ks in 12.2 innings total. On his MLB career, Junis is 27-29 with a 4.68 ERA and 418 Ks in 463.1 innings.
The Indians are 22-7 in their last 29 road games versus a team with a losing record and 38-14 in the last 52 Wednesday games. Cleveland is 61-27 in their last 88 games as a favorite and 51-24 in their last 75 versus the American League Central.
Meanwhile, the Royals are 2-6 in their last eight Wednesday games and 26-78 in their last 104 during game three of a series. The under is 5-1 in the Royals’ last six Wednesday games and 5-1 in their last six during game three of a series.
Pick: I like the Indians here. Junis is still working his way back from injury, and had his first start off the IL back on Wednesday. He went 3.2 innings in that one, giving up two runs on four hits. The Royals will likely remain cautious with Junis and limit his pitches here. As for McKenzie, he wasn’t as sharp in his last start, but if he can get his locations dialed in like he did in his debut (10 strikeouts) he’ll be very dangerous to the Royals hitters. This should be a pretty fun one to watch.
