The Kansas City Royals will face off against their divisional rival Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. SportsTime Ohio will be televising the action and the opening pitch will be at 1:10 p.m. ET.
Kansas City Royals vs. Cleveland Indians Odds
Kansas City (+275) is coming into this one as the underdog to Cleveland (-350) and oddsmakers have the Over/Under for this game at 8 runs. The odds for wagering on the game’s total sit at -115 for the under and -105 for the over. The game’s runline odds stand at +140 for betting the Royals +1.5 runs and -160 for the Indians -1.5 runs.
The Royals have gone 46-92 SU this year and are 68-69 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 25.9 units for moneyline bettors and 9.0 units ATS. The Indians, on the other hand, are 78-60 SU and 65-72 ATS. They’ve lost 18.8 units for moneyline bettors and 15.7 units ATS.
Cleveland games have an over/under record of 66-64-7 in 2018. Kansas City has been a decent under bet with a total record of 59-68-10.
Brad Keller will get the start for the visiting Royals. The right-handed Keller is 7-5 with a 3.26 ERA and 76 strikeouts. He’s 1-0 with seven strikeouts and a 1.93 ERA against Cleveland this year.
The Indians will send righty Corey Kluber (17-7, 2.80 ERA) to the mound. Kluber has 180 strikeouts and 27 walks to his credit, as well as a WHIP of 0.96. Kluber is 2-1 with 15 strikeouts and a 3.93 ERA over three starts against Kansas City this year.
Cleveland’s pitchers have yielded 4.0 runs per game overall in 2018 as a unit. The club’s starters have an ERA of 3.41, a WHIP of 1.15 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 9.5. The bullpen has a 4.74 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 9.0 K/9. In 62 games against AL Central foes, Indians starters have an ERA of 2.65 and the bullpen’s ERA is 3.30.
The Cleveland hitters have produced 5.0 runs per outing, including 5.3 per game against divisional foes and 4.0 per game over their last five. The team’s hit .217/.289/.357 over its last five contests and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.
The Indians’ batters have been led by shortstop Francisco Lindor and left fielder Michael Brantley. Lindor is slashing .285/.361/.526 with 31 home runs, 80 RBIs, 114 runs and 22 stolen bases, and Brantley’s line is .304/.357/.465 with 14 homers, 70 RBIs and 76 runs scored.
In the other dugout, Kansas City’s pitching staff allowed 5.3 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 5.11 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 7.43 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 5.19, along with a WHIP of 1.44.
Royals hitters have slashed .245/.307/.388 on their way to 3.8 runs scored per game this season, including 4.3 runs per game against divisional foes and 6.2 per game over the team’s last five outings (4-1 SU).
Kansas City’s offense has been led by second baseman Whit Merrifield and catcher Salvador Perez. The speedy Merrifield is hitting .306/.372/.440 with 11 home runs, 51 RBIs, 69 runs and 30 steals. Perez is hitting .235/.274/.438 with 23 homers, 65 RBIs and 44 runs scored.
The Royals have lost 21.4 units and are 45-50 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has hit in 45 of those games, as opposed to 43 that’ve gone under against righties. On the other hand, the Indians have lost 14.6 units and are 49-54 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over has cashed in 50 of those games, compared to 48 that went under the total.
Kansas City Royals at Cleveland Indians Free MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Indians, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- The over has cashed in only two of Cleveland’s last seven games.
- Kansas City has posted 27.3 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 27.8 over its last five.
- The Royals have hit 20 home runs in their last 10 games. The Indians have hit eight over their last 10.
