The Cleveland Indians will be taking on their division rival Kansas City Royals in a Wednesday showdown. Fox Sports Kansas City is in line to televise the matchup and the game will get going at 8:15 p.m. ET.
Cleveland Indians at Kansas City Royals Odds
Cleveland (receiving -145) is favored over Kansas City (+135) and oddsmakers have the Over/Under for this game at 9 runs (-110 for the over and -110 for the under). Bettors can also wager on the game’s runline with the most recent odds coming in at Indians -1.5 runs (+100) and Royals +1.5 runs (-120).
The Royals are only 29-57 straight up (SU) and 41-44 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 17.1 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 14.6 units ATS. The Indians are 46-38 SU and have gone 39-44 ATS. In total, the club has lost 6.7 units for moneyline bettors and 6.3 units ATS.
Royals games have had an over/under record of 40-38-7 so far in 2019. The Indians have been a decent under bet with a total record of 36-45-2.
Mike Clevinger will get the nod for the visiting Indians. The right-handed Clevinger is 1-2 with a 5.89 ERA and 31 strikeouts. This will be his first outing against Kansas City this year. He made five starts against the team in 2018, posting a 3-0 record with a 2.14 ERA and 32 strikeouts.
The Royals are planning to start lefty Danny Duffy (3-4, 4.43 ERA), who’s got 58 strikeouts and 24 walks, along with a WHIP of 1.33. Duffy made four starts against the team in 2018, posting a 0-4 record in 2018, posting a 0-4 record with a 12.06 ERA.
As a unit, Kansas City’s pitching staff has allowed 5.2 runs per game overall in 2019. The club’s starters have a 5.33 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.75 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 8.7 K/9. In 37 divisional games, Royals starters have an ERA of 3.82 and the bullpen’s ERA is 5.04.
Kansas City’s offense has put up 4.3 runs per contest, including 4.5 per game against divisional foes and 4.6 per game over its last five. The team has hit .277/.335/.439 over its last five matchups and is 1-4 SU during that stretch.
The Royals’ offense has been led by second baseman Whit Merrifield and left fielder Alex Gordon. Merrifield is slashing .307/.355/.501 with 11 home runs, 43 RBIs, 60 runs and 11 stolen bases, and Gordon’s line is .266/.343/.442 with 10 homers, 53 RBIs and 46 runs.
In the other dugout, Cleveland’s pitching staff allowed 4.3 runs per game and its starters own a 4.30 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 9.81 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 3.61, along with a WHIP of 1.22.
The Indians offense has slashed .239/.319/.405 on its way to 4.4 runs scored per game in 2019, including 4.4 runs per game against divisional foes and 3.2 per game over the team’s last five outings (3-2 SU).
First baseman Carlos Santana and shortstop Francisco Lindor continue to lead Cleveland’s hitters. Santana is hitting .295/.413/.534 with 18 home runs, 51 RBIs and 57 runs scored, while Lindor (.291/.350/.494) has produced 12 homers, 27 RBIs, 42 runs and 12 stolen bases.
The Indians have gained 3.0 units and are 14-12 ATS when facing a lefty starter this season. The over has cashed in 15 of those games, compared to 11 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Royals have lost 13.0 units and are 29-32 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in 29 of those games, as opposed to 28 that’ve cashed the under.
Indians at Royals MLB Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Indians, ATS Winner – Indians, O/U – UNDER
Betting Notes
- The under has hit in three of Kansas City’s last seven games.
- The Indians have a total OPS of .724 this season, including an OPS of .686 against left-handed pitchers. The Royals’ OPS sits at .717 overall and .682 against southpaws.
- The Royals have dropped five of their last six games SU.
- Cleveland has posted 22.8 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 20.8 over its last five.
- The Indians have hit 11 home runs in their last 10 games. The Royals have hit nine over their last 10.
