The Cleveland Guardians and the Kansas City Royals meet Monday 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 Gavin Williams for the start here and Williams is 2-7 with a 4.99 ERA and 58 strikeouts this season. In his career, Williams is 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA and 24 strikeouts against the Royals. The Kansas City Royals will send out Michael Wacha here and Wacha is 11-6 with a 3.50 ERA and 120 strikeouts this season. In his last 5 starts against Cleveland, Wacha is 2-0 with a 2.48 ERA and 31 strikeouts.
Cleveland Guardians Recap
The Cleveland Guardians will be out to build on their series win over Pittsburgh after ending up with a 6-1 win over the Pirates in Sunday’s rubber match. The Guardians will now be looking for revenge after losing their four-game set with the Royals the series prior.
Guardians Trying To Pull Away In AL Central Race
Jose Ramirez leads the Guardians with 145 hits as well as 34 home runs and 105 RBIs while Josh Naylor also has 28 home runs and 98 RBIs along with 22 doubles of his own. Ramirez has a team-high 31 doubles while Tyler Freeman has 14 doubles and Andres Gimenez has 54 RBIs with 25 stolen bases. The aforementioned Ramirez has a team-high 34 stolen bases on the year. Steven Kwan is also hitting .298 with 132 hits and 16 doubles this season.
Why the Cleveland Guardians will win
- The Guardians have won four of their last five games as road underdogs against AL Central opponents following a home win.
- The Royals have lost each of their last five games.
- The Guardians have covered the run line in eight of their last nine games as underdogs against American League opponents following a home win.
- The Royals have failed to cover the run line each of their last four day games against teams that held a winning record.
Kansas City Royals Recap
The Kansas City Royals come into this one looking to snap a five-game losing streak after being swept by the Houston Astros over the weekend thanks to a 7-2 loss in Sunday’s series finale. The loss put the Royals behind the 8-ball in terms of the division race, but the Royals have the confidence of knowing they can take out the rival Guardians after winning three of four against the Guardians this time last week.
Royals Looking To Keep Guardians Within Reach
Bobby Witt Jr. leads the Royals with 187 hits including 30 home runs, 97 RBIs and team-highs of 11 triples and 39 doubles with 27 stolen bases and a .340 batting average. Salvador Perez also has 25 home runs with 94 RBIs and 26 doubles. Maikel Garcia has 7 home runs, 53 RBIs and 33 stolen bases along with 5 triples and 23 doubles this season. Vinnie Pasquantino has 30 doubles with 19 homers and 97 RBIs of his own on the year.
Why the Kansas City Royals will win
- The Royals have won each of their last 11 games as home favorites against AL Central opponents.
- The Guardians have lost seven of their last eight games at Kauffman Stadium.
- The Royals have covered the run line in each of their last nine games as home favorites against AL Central opponents.
- 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 in this one. I think Wacha just had a bad outing last time out, but in the end, I think that he’s the far better option here. Williams has pitched better at home in fairness, but I just feel like the Royals are a tough team to take out at home and the pressure is back on Kansas City to chase down Cleveland. They did it once before, and I think they could again. Give me the Royals here.