In this article, we will formulate a Royals vs Guardians prediction for this MLB game on Saturday, March 29th, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this MLB matchup.
Kansas City Royals Betting Preview
The Kansas City Royals are 0-1 this year after they lost to Cleveland by a score of 7-4 in extra innings in their first game. Kansas City took a 3-0 lead in the third inning on a homer by Pasquantino, but they needed a rally in the ninth before losing in the 10th. The Royals did record seven hits in the game, but they went scoreless from the fourth inning until the ninth inning. Pasquantino went 2-4 in the game with one home run and three RBIs, while Massey went 1-3 with one RBI. Cole Ragans started the game for Kansas City, and he went five innings and allowed five hits and three earned runs. On Monday, the Brewers go on the road to take on the Milwaukee Brewers.
Last year, the Kansas City pitching staff had a 3.76 ERA with a 1.24 WHIP and a .241 opponent batting average, while the KC offense scored 735 runs with a .248 batting average and a .306 on-base percentage. The Royals were a little inconsistent at the plate, especially down the stretch, but they were one of the better pitching staffs in the MLB. The KC lineup was led by Bobby Witt, who hit .332 with 32 home runs, 109 RBIs, and 31 stolen bases. The projected starting pitcher for Kansas City is Seth Lugo, who was 16-9 with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP over 206.2 innings pitched last year.
Cleveland Guardians Betting Preview
The Cleveland Guardians are 1-0 this season after they picked up a huge 7-4 win in extra innings in game one. Cleveland trailed 3-0 early in the game, but they scored one in the fourth, one in the fifth, two in the sixth, and three in the tenth for the win. The Guardians recorded 10 hits in the game, but they did commit one error. Manzardo went 3-4 with one home run and four RBIs in the game, while Noel, Kwan, and Ramirez added one RBI each. Lively started the game for Cleveland, but he allowed three earned runs and four hits across five innings in the game. On Monday, the Guardians are going out west to take on the San Diego Padres.
Last season, the Cleveland pitching staff had a 3.61 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP and a .230 opponent batting average. Cleveland’s offense scored 708 runs with a .238 batting average and a .307 on-base percentage in 2024, but their pitching staff is what carried them for most of the season. The Cleveland lineup was led by Jose Ramirez, who hit .279 with 39 home runs and 118 RBIs in the season. The projected starting pitcher for Cleveland is Gavin Williams, who went 3-10 with a 4.86 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP over 76.0 innings pitched in 2024.
Why the Royals will beat the Guardians
- The Guardians have lost six of their last seven road games following an extra-innings win.
- The Royals have won five of their last six day games against the Guardians following a home loss.
- The Royals have covered the run line in seven of their last eight games against teams that held a winning record.
- The Guardians have failed to cover the run line in seven of their last eight games as road underdogs following a road win.
- The Guardians have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last four games as road underdogs against American League opponents.
- The Royals have led after 3 innings in each of their last five day games against the Guardians at Kauffman Stadium.
Total Runs Facts
- Eight of the Royals’ last nine home games following an extra innings loss have gone UNDER the total runs line.
- Four of the Guardians’ last five games have gone OVER the total runs line.
- The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in 11 of the Royals’ last 12 games as favorites against American League opponents.
- The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in eight of the Guardians’ last nine games as underdogs against AL Central opponents.
Kansas City Royals Player Prop Facts
- Vinnie Pasquantino has hit a home run in three of his last four home appearances against the Guardians.
- Vinnie Pasquantino has recorded a Double in four of his last five home appearances.
- Seth Lugo has recorded a win in seven of his last eight appearances with his team as a favorite against AL Central opponents.
- Vinnie Pasquantino has recorded at least one RBI in 11 of his last 12 home appearances against AL opponents that held a winning record.
- Vinnie Pasquantino has scored at least one run in seven of his last eight appearances against the Guardians.
- Seth Lugo has recorded five or more strikeouts in nine of his last 10 appearances in day games.
- Bobby Witt Jr. has recorded at least one Single in each of the Royals’ last six day games.
- Jonathan India has recorded at least one hit in each of his last nine Saturday appearances against AL teams that held a winning record.
- Vinnie Pasquantino ranks T5th amongst qualified players for Slugging Percentage (1.500) this season.
Cleveland Guardians Player Prop Facts
- Jose Ramirez has hit a home run in each of his last four Saturday appearances against AL teams that held a losing record.
- Jose Ramirez has recorded a Double in four of the Guardians’ last five games against opponents that held a losing record.
- Jose Ramirez has recorded an RBI in four of the Guardians’ last five games as road underdogs against the Royals.
- Steven Kwan has scored at least one run in five of his last six appearances against AL opponents that held a losing record.
- Steven Kwan has recorded at least one Single in each of his last eight road appearances.
- Lane Thomas has recorded at least one hit in each of his 11 previous road appearances against AL Central opponents that held a losing record.
- Kyle Manzardo ranks 2nd amongst qualified players for Slugging Percentage (2.250) this season.
Royals vs Guardians Prediction
Cleveland comes into this matchup after doing a great job of getting base runners in game one, which resulted in an extra inning win, but they will have a tough matchup here. Seth Lugo was very good for Kansas City last season and was able to eat up over 200 innings. On the other side, Gavin Williams was roughed up in limited duty last year, and I need to see him put some solid starts together before I trust him, especially against an offense like KC’s. Take the Royals to get the win.