The Cleveland Guardians and the Kansas City Royals meet Friday in MLB action from Kauffman Stadium. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Kansas City Royals vs Cleveland Guardians Prediction.
Starting Pitching Matchup
The Cleveland Guardians will send out Triston McKenzie for the start here and McKenzie is 3-4 with a 4.66 ERA and 71 strikeouts this season. In his last five starts against the Royals, McKenzie is 1-1 with a 5.13 ERA and 24 strikeouts. Alec Marsh will get the start for the Royals here and is 5-5 with a 4.40 ERA and 69 strikeouts this season. This will be Marsh’s second career start against the Guardians.
Cleveland Guardians Recap
The Cleveland Guardians come into this one looking to bounce back from a series-opening 2-1 loss to the Royals in Thursday’s matchup. The loss put the Guardians’ series win streak in jeopardy after series wins over the Orioles, Blue Jays and Mariners over the last week.
Guardians Still Solid Despite Recent Losses
Entering Thursday’s opener, Jose Ramirez leads the Guardians with 83 hits as well as 21 home runs and 72 RBIs while Josh Naylor also has 20 home runs and 58 RBIs of his own. Ramirez has a team-high 15 doubles while Tyler Freeman has 12 doubles and Andres Gimenez has 37 RBIs with 14 stolen bases while the aforementioned Ramirez has a team-high 15 stolen bases on the year.
Why the Cleveland Guardians will win
- The Guardians have won 13 of their last 15 games at Kauffman Stadium against AL Central opponents that held a winning record.
- The Royals have lost six of their last seven night games against American League opponents.
- The Guardians have covered the run line in 15 of their last 17 road games against AL Central opponents that held a winning record.
- The Royals have failed to cover the run line in six of their last seven games against American League opponents.
Kansas City Royals Recap
The Kansas City Royals will look to pick up some momentum after the win in Thursday’s opening game. The win was much needed for the Royals who are looking for back-to-back series wins after knocking off the Miami Marlins to start the week.
Royals Starting To Figure It Out Offensively
Going into Thursday’s matchup, Bobby Witt Jr. leads the Royals with 102 hits including 12 home runs, 53 RBIs and team-highs of 8 triples and 22 doubles with 21 stolen bases. Salvador Perez also has 12 home runs with 47 RBIs and 16 doubles. Nelson Velazquez also has 61 strikeouts while Maikel Garcia has 5 home runs, 39 RBIs and 19 stolen bases along with 3 triples and 14 doubles this season. Vinnie Pasquantino has 21 doubles with 8 homers and 49 RBIs of his own on the year.
Why the Kansas City Royals will win
- The Royals have won each of their last nine home games against AL Central opponents.
- The Guardians have lost four of their last five games as road favorites against AL Central opponents.
- The Royals have covered the run line each of their last nine Friday games against American League opponents that held a winning record.
- The Guardians have failed to cover the run line in seven of their last eight games at Kauffman Stadium.
Kansas City Royals vs Cleveland Guardians Prediction
I’m on the Royals here. I was considering the Guardians until Triston McKenzie was announced as the starter and he’s been getting hit very hard in recent starts. So has Marsh, but Marsh has been better at home and frankly, I think the Royals need this series more to gain some ground in the division that was lost during their recent slump. Give me the Royals.