The forecast from Kansas City on Thursday calls for broken clouds and temperatures in the mid-80s. First pitch for this one is set for 8:10 PM ET from Kauffman Stadium. Cleveland is 51-27, while the Royals are 44-38, and the Guardians are currently the 1st place team in the AL Central.
Cleveland comes into the game as the slight money line favorite, with the odds sitting at -115 compared to the Royals at -104. The over/under line is currently 8.5 runs, and FS1 will be handling TV coverage for the game.
Guardians Dominate AL Central: Lively Leads Cleveland’s Charge with Stellar Home Performance,
The Cleveland Guardians are 51-27 overall and lead the AL Central by eight games over the Twins. They are 26-9 at home and 25-18 on the road. Cleveland has won five straight as the favorite and are 35-15 in that spot this season. They are 18-6-2 in series matchups and have won three straight series, including taking two of three games vs. the Orioles.
Ben Lively is starting for the Guardians today, and he is 7-3 with a 3.03 ERA this season. He is 4-0 with a 2.17 ERA at home and 3-3 with a 3.92 ERA on the road. The Guardians are 25-18 against the run line when on the road. Cleveland’s offense is 3rd in scoring at 5.1 runs per game, and they are 8th in home runs with 92. José Ramírez has 21 home runs and 72 RBI this season and is 7 for 22 with 3 home runs over his last five games. Josh Naylor has 20 home runs and 58 RBI.
Royals Look to Break Losing Streak as Wacha Takes the Mound Against Guardians,
The Royals are 44-38 overall and trail the Guardians by nine games in the AL Central. They are 13-9 in divisional games and 27-15 at home this season. Kansas City is 22-26 as the underdog and 12-9 as the home underdog. The Royals are 12-13-1 in series this year and have lost four straight games as the underdog. They are 3-7 over their last 10 games and won their most recent series vs. the Marlins.
Michael Wacha gets the start for the Royals today and is 4-6 with a 4.07 ERA. He has a 5.46 ERA at home compared to 3.94 on the road. Wacha has six quality starts this year and gave up one earned run in his most recent outing. The Royals are 46-36 against the run line and 29-19 as the underdog. Offensively, the Royals are 2nd in scoring at home, averaging 5.2 runs per game. Bobby Witt Jr. leads the team in batting average, on-base percentage, homers, and RBI. Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino have also been key contributors. The Royals have been trending towards the under, as their last five games have all gone under the total.
Royals to Edge Out Guardians: Bet on Kansas City for a 6-5 Victory,
Our prediction for this Guardians vs. Royals matchup is to take the Royals on the money line at -104. We have the Royals winning this one by a score of 6-5. At -104, we see this as a great value, as you could also take the Royals on the run line and still get a good payout.
Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Michael Wacha picking up the win and finishing with four strikeouts. As for Ben Lively, he is projected to finish with just four strikeouts and has the second-worst chances of picking up a win among today’s starters.
