The Cleveland Guardians (79-59) travel to face off against the Kansas City Royals (75-64) on Tuesday, September 3rd. This game will be played at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City and televised on BSKC. The Guardians are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Royals are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Guardians. First pitch is set for 6:40 CT.
Guardians vs. Royals Betting Prediction
- Money Line Prediction: Royals (+101)
- Over/Under Prediction: Over 8 Runs
- The Royals have a 3-1 record against the Guardians in their last four head-to-head matchups, including a 6-1 win on August 27th.
- In their last 15 games, the Royals have scored 5 or more runs in 8 games, showing a strong offensive trend.
- The Royals have a 5-2 record in their last 7 home games, indicating strong recent home performance.
- The Royals have outscored their opponents by a combined 20 runs in their last 4 wins, demonstrating effective run production.
- The Royals have a 6-4 record in their last 10 games, showing a positive trend in recent performance.
Guardians vs Royals
Cleveland picked up a 4-2 road win over the Royals in the most recent game of this series. The Guardians offense got off to a fast start, scoring two runs in the first and adding two more in the 2nd. As for the Royals, they got on the board with one run in the 2nd and added their final run in the 8th.
Gavin Williams only went seven innings for the Guardians but gave up just one run and one hit. He finished the game with six strikeouts but issued two walks. Emmanuel Clase closed things out. As for the Royals, Michael Wacha struggled on the mound, giving up two earned runs in five innings of work.
At the plate, Cleveland’s top two hitters, Josh Naylor and Lane Thomas, each had two hits and an RBI. Naylor also homered in the game. As for the Royals, Whit Merrifield went 2/4 with a run scored.
Today, Cleveland is on the road to face the Royals, leading the AL Central by 3.5 games over the Twins. The Guardians have a 79-59 overall record and have won the first game of this series. In AL Central matchups, they are 23-20.
For the season, the Guardians have a 25-13-5 series record and a 69-69 run line record. As underdogs, they are 31-22, and as favorites, they are 38-47. The under has hit in their last three games, and their season average runs per game is 8.6, with 46.4% of their games having higher totals than today’s line of 8 runs.
Tanner Bibee Gets The Start For The Guardians
Cleveland is sending right-hander Tanner Bibee to the mound today vs. the Royals. He has made 26 starts this season and has a record of 10-6 with a 3.65 ERA. Bibee’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.13. In his 26 appearances, he has turned in eight quality starts and is averaging 9.82 strikeouts per nine innings. Looking back at his last outing, Bibee finished with a no-decision vs. the Royals, giving up five earned runs in five innings of work. Before that, he had lost three straight starts. One positive note is that he has allowed just one earned run in three of his last four outings.
Guardians Offense Breakdown
Heading into the game, the Guardians are averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 14th in the league. At home, they are scoring 4.9 runs per contest, which is 6th in the MLB. As a team, the Guardians are batting just .239, but they do have the 12th most home runs in the league. One thing to watch is their team batting average on balls in play, as their .27 mark is 23rd in the league.
Josh Naylor has been swinging a hot bat for the Guardians, going 11/27 in his last seven games with a home run and eight RBIs. He is also on a five-game hitting streak. Naylor is 2nd on the team with 29 home runs. José Ramirez is the team’s top power threat, as his 34 homers are 5th in the league. He is also 2nd in the league with 105 RBIs.
After a 29-15 stretch against AL Central teams, the Royals have dropped six straight games and are 4.5 games behind the Guardians in the division. Their overall series record is 19-22-2, and they are coming off a series loss to the White Sox.
For the season, the Royals’ games have averaged 8.9 runs, and their O/U record is 64-71. When the total is set at 8 runs, their record is 14-12-2. At home, they are 39-31 vs. the run line, but have failed to cover in their last three games.
Brady Singer Gets The Start For The Royals
Right-hander Brady Singer gets the start for the Royals today as he faces the Guardians at home. Singer has made 27 starts this season and has a record of 9-9 with a 3.36 ERA. Looking at his overall numbers, Singer has a WHIP of 1.24 and has turned in 12 quality starts. In his most recent outing, Singer finished with a no-decision, going six innings and giving up two earned runs on five hits. Before that, he had given up at least five earned runs in three straight starts. So far, Singer has been much better at home, coming in with a 3.09 ERA compared to 4.47 on the road.
Royals Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Royals are averaging 4.8 runs per game, which is 8th in the league. At home, they have been even better, averaging 5.1 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .254, which is 7th in the league, and they are one of the best teams in terms of avoiding strikeouts. Kansas City’s team on-base percentage is .311, and they are 8th in the league in slugging percentage.
Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. have been two of the Royals’ top hitters this season, with Perez batting .273 and Witt Jr. hitting .338. Witt Jr. has also gone deep 30 times, which is 7th in the league. However, he has struggled a bit of late, hitting just .206 over his last nine games.
Guardians vs Royals Prediction
There is a lot of value in taking the Royals on the money line at +101 in this one. We have the Royals winning this game 7-6, and with the payout at +101, this is a great way to play this one.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we actually have Tanner Bibee finishing with more strikeouts than Brady Singer, but we have Singer going longer into the game. Our projections have Singer finishing with six K’s and Bibee with seven.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
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Last updated:September 3, 2024 Guardians, Royals