The Kansas City Royals will do battle against the Cleveland Indians at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. SportsTime Ohio will broadcast the matchup and the game will get going at 7:15 p.m. ET.
Cleveland Indians at Kansas City Royals Odds
Kansas City (+205) is the home-team underdog to Cleveland (-225) and oddsmakers have put the Over/Under for this night game at 8 runs (-120 for the under and +100 for the over). Bettors can also wager on the game’s spread with the current runline odds standing at -150 for the Indians -1.5 runs and +130 for the Royals +1.5.
The Indians have gone 90-70 SU this year and are 75-84 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 24.2 units for moneyline gamblers and 20.1 units ATS. Cleveland is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the under has hit in three of those seven. The Royals, on the other hand, are 57-103 SU and 82-77 ATS. The team’s lost 23.4 units for moneyline bettors and 4.6 units ATS. Kansas City has covered the spread six times in its last seven games and the under has hit in five of those seven.
Kansas City games have an over/under record of 68-80-11 in 2018. The Indians have an over/under record of 75-74-10.
Right-hander Corey Kluber will get the nod for the visiting Indians. Kluber is 20-7 with a 2.83 ERA and 216 strikeouts. He’s 3-1 with 25 strikeouts and a 3.24 ERA against Kansas City this year (four starts).
The Royals are putting the ball in the right hand of Jakob Junis (8-12, 4.42 ERA, 1.27 WHIP), who has 158 strikeouts and 42 walks this season. Junis is 1-2 with 15 strikeouts and a 6.00 ERA across three starts against Cleveland this year.
As a unit, Kansas City’s pitchers have allowed 5.2 runs per game overall in 2018. Its starting pitching staff has an ERA of 4.92, a WHIP of 1.41 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 7.2. The bullpen has a 5.09 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 7.3 K/9. In 74 games against AL Central foes, Royals starters have an ERA of 4.86 and the bullpen’s ERA is 5.10.
The Kansas City hitters have put up 3.9 runs per outing, including 4.4 per game against divisional foes and 4.2 per game over their last five. The team has a slash-line of .232/.277/.407 over its last five matchups and is 4-1 SU during that stretch.
Second baseman Whit Merrifield and right fielder Alex Gordon have led the way for the Royals’ offense this year. Merrifield is slashing .303/.366/.438 with 12 home runs, 58 RBIs, 87 runs and 42 stolen bases, while Gordon is batting .244 with 13 homers, 53 RBIs and 55 runs scored.
In the other dugout, Cleveland’s pitching staff allowed 4.0 runs per game and its starters own a 3.39 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 9.64 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.55, along with a K-per-9 of 9.32.
Indians hitters have slashed .259/.335/.435 on their way to 5.1 runs scored per game in 2018, including 5.4 runs per game against divisional foes and 6.6 per game over the team’s last five outings (3-2 SU).
Cleveland’s hitters have been led by shortstop Francisco Lindor and outfielder Michael Brantley, who collectively have launched 54 home runs. Lindor is slashing .279/.353/.519 with 37 home runs, 91 RBIs, 127 runs and 23 steals. Brantley (.309/.364/.471) has produced 17 homers, 76 RBIs and 88 runs scored.
The Indians have lost 15.1 units and are 56-61 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in 55 of those games, compared to 56 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Royals have lost 20.6 units and are 55-55 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over’s hit in 51 of those games, compared to 51 that went under.
Cleveland Indians vs. Kansas City Royals Free MLB Tip
Predictions: SU Winner – Indians, ATS Winner – Indians, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- Cleveland has recorded 22 extra-base hits over its last five contests. Kansas City has 17 XBH over its last five.
- The Indians have hit 12 home runs in their last 10 games, including seven over their last five.
- Kansas City has posted 20.1 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 20.6 over its last five.
