Whit Merrifield and the slumping Kansas City Royals will be taking on their divisional rival Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field in a Saturday showdown. The game gets underway 7:10 p.m. ET and Fox Sports Kansas City will showcase the matchup.
Kansas City Royals at Cleveland Indians Odds
Las Vegas has Kansas City (+270) as the underdog to Cleveland (-340). The total currently stands at 9 runs and bettors can play the over for -115 and the under for -105. There’s a runline of Royals +1.5 (+135) and Indians -1.5 (-155) for this matchup.
The Indians are 75-54 straight up (SU) and 69-59 against the spread (ATS). The team hasn’t moved the needle much for gamblers, gaining 2.6 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 8.9 units ATS. Cleveland has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the total has gone over in four of those seven. The Royals have gone 45-84 SU this year and are 59-69 ATS. In total, the club has lost 24.1 units for moneyline bettors and 23.2 units ATS. Kansas City is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the under has cashed in six of those seven.
Cleveland games have an over/under record of 56-68-4 in 2019. The Royals have an over/under record of 59-61-8.
Glenn Sparkman will get the start for Kansas City. The right-handed Sparkman is 3-8 with a 5.40 ERA and 61 strikeouts. He’s 0-2 with eight strikeouts and a 9.37 ERA against Cleveland this year (three starts).
The Indians are putting the ball in the right hand of Mike Clevinger (8-2, 3.11 ERA, 1.12 WHIP), who has 105 strikeouts and 24 walks. Clevinger is 2-0 with 16 strikeouts and a 0.69 ERA across two starts against Kansas City this year.
Kansas City’s pitching staff allowed 5.2 runs per game and its starters own a 5.09 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 7.44 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.86, along with a K-per-9 of 8.49.
The Royals offense has slashed .242/.307/.396 on its way to 4.2 runs scored per game in 2019, including 4.7 runs per game against divisional foes and 2.6 per game over the team’s last five contests (1-4 SU).
Kansas City’s offense has been fueled by second baseman Whit Merrifield and left fielder Alex Gordon. Merrifield is slashing .300/.352/.478 with 15 home runs, 65 RBIs, 85 runs and 16 stolen bases, while Gordon (.265/.337/.407) is up to 12 homers, 63 RBIs and 66 runs scored.
In the other dugout, Cleveland’s pitching staff has given up 4.0 runs per game overall in 2019. Its starting pitching staff has a 3.85 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 3.44 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 9.0 K/9. In 55 games against divisional foes, Indians starters have an ERA of 3.85 and the bullpen’s ERA is 2.74.
The Cleveland hitters are putting up 4.7 runs per outing, including 4.9 per game against divisional foes and 3.4 per game over their last five. The team has slashed .226/.282/.390 over its last five games and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.
Shortstop Francisco Lindor and first baseman Carlos Santana have led the Indians’ hitters this year. Lindor is hitting .297/.351/.517 with 22 home runs, 55 RBIs, 75 runs and 18 steals, while Santana’s line is .292/.413/.549 with 30 homers, 79 RBIs and 91 runs scored.
The Royals have lost 19.9 units and are 42-51 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in 44 of those games, compared to 45 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Indians have lost 1.9 units and are 44-42 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 31 of those games, as opposed to 51 that’ve gone under.
Royals vs. Indians MLB Tip
Predictions: SU Winner – Indians, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – UNDER
Betting Trends
- Kansas City has tallied six extra-base hits over its last five games. Cleveland has 14 XBH over its last five.
- The Royals have dropped five of their last six games SU.
- Cleveland has posted 22.6 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 18.2 over its last five.
- The Royals have hit eight home runs in their last 10 games. The Indians have hit 17 over their last 10.
- The Royals have a total OPS of .703 this season and an OPS of .711 when facing right-handed pitchers. The Indians’ OPS sits at .759 overall and .764 versus righties.
