The Cleveland Indians are set to play their division rival Kansas City Royals at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. SportsTime Ohio is in line to broadcast the action and the game will get going at 7:15 p.m. ET.
Cleveland Indians at Kansas City Royals Odds
Kansas City (+290) is the home-team underdog to Cleveland (-365) and oddsmakers have put the Over/Under for this night game at 8.5 runs (-105 for the over and -115 for the under). Gamblers can also bet on the game’s runline with the current odds standing at -210 for the Indians -1.5 runs and +175 for the Royals +1.5 runs.
The Indians are 73-55 SU and are 61-66 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 10.4 units for gamblers taking the moneyline and 12.3 units ATS. Cleveland has covered the spread only twice over its last seven games and the under has hit in four of those seven. The Royals, on the other hand, are 39-90 SU and 60-68 ATS. They’ve lost 36.3 units for moneyline bettors and 18.9 units ATS. Kansas City has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the under has cashed in three of those seven.
Kansas City games have an over/under record of 55-65-8 in 2018. The Indians have an over/under record of 63-59-5.
Corey Kluber will get the start for the visiting Indians. The right-handed Kluber (16-6, 2.74 ERA) has racked up 166 strikeouts in 174.1 innings so far. He’s 2-0 with nine strikeouts and a 2.08 ERA against Kansas City this year (two starts).
The Royals are putting the ball in the hands of Heath Fillmyer (1-1, 4.57 ERA), who has 27 strikeouts and 23 walks this season as well as a 1.46 WHIP. Fillmyer is 0-0 with two strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA against Cleveland this year.
Kansas City’s pitching staff has given up 5.4 runs per game overall in 2018 as a unit. The team’s starters have a 5.29 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 5.16 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 7.3 K/9. In 51 games against divisional foes, Royals starters have an ERA of 5.27 and the bullpen’s ERA is 5.17.
The Kansas City hitters are putting up 3.7 runs per contest, including 4.2 per game against divisional foes and 2.4 per game over their last five. The team has slashed .211/.262/.373 over its last five games and is 1-4 SU during that stretch.
The Royals’ hitters have been led by second baseman Whit Merrifield and catcher Salvador Perez. Merrifield is slashing .304/.373/.431 with nine home runs, 44 RBIs, 61 runs and 28 steals, while Perez’s line is .232/.270/.430 with 22 homers, 64 RBIs and 41 runs.
In the other dugout, Cleveland’s pitching staff allowed 4.1 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 3.38 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 9.40 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.84, along with a WHIP of 1.15 and a K-per-9 of 8.92.
The Indians offense has slashed .258/.332/.440 on its way to 5.1 runs scored per game in 2018, including 5.3 runs per game against divisional foes and 3.8 per game over the team’s last five outings (2-3 SU).
Cleveland’s hitters have been led by shortstop Francisco Lindor and outfielder Michael Brantley, who’ve collectively swatted 43 home runs. Lindor is hitting .288/.366/.537 with 29 home runs, 76 RBIs, 105 runs and 19 stolen bases. Brantley (.303/.359/.471) is up to 14 homers, 69 RBIs and 73 runs scored.
The Royals have lost 30.9 units and are 38-49 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 41 of those games, compared to 40 that’ve hit the under against righty starters.
Cleveland Indians at Kansas City Royals Free Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Indians, ATS Winner – Indians, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- The under has hit in four of Cleveland’s last seven games.
- Cleveland has posted 20.1 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 21.0 over its last five.
- The Indians have hit 13 home runs in their last 10 games, including nine over their last five.
