The Cleveland Indians will head west to square off against their AL Central foe Kansas City Royals at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. SportsTime Ohio will broadcast the action and the game is scheduled to get going at 8:15 p.m. ET.
Cleveland Indians vs. Kansas City Royals Odds
Kansas City (+220) is the underdog against Cleveland (-240) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under for this one at eight runs. Odds for betting on the game’s total stand at -110 for the over and -110 for the under. You can also wager on the game’s runline with the current odds coming in at Indians -1.5 runs (-160) and Royals +1.5 runs (+140).
The Indians are 45-37 SU and have gone 38-43 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 9.9 units for moneyline bettors and 8.8 units ATS. Cleveland is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the total has gone under in five of those seven. The Royals, on the other hand, are 25-58 SU and 37-45 ATS. The team has lost 21.7 units for moneyline bettors and 16.0 units ATS. Kansas City has a 3-4 ATS mark over its last seven outings and the total has gone under in four of those seven.
Royals games have had an over/under record of 31-47-4 thus far in 2018. Cleveland has an over/under record of 41-38-2.
The right-handed Corey Kluber is the probable starter for the visiting Indians. Kluber is 11-4 with a 2.54 ERA and 115 strikeouts. He’s 1-0 with four strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA against Kansas City this year.
The Royals are turning to righty Jakob Junis (5-9, 4.67 ERA), who has 90 punchouts and 27 walks to his credit as well as a 1.27 WHIP. Junis is 0-1 with seven strikeouts and a 6.35 ERA in one start against Cleveland this year.
Cleveland’s pitchers have allowed 4.2 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 3.39 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 9.17 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 5.17, along with a WHIP of 1.13.
Indians hitters have slashed .255/.326/.440 on their way to 5.0 runs scored per game this season, including 5.4 runs per game against divisional foes and 5.0 per game over the team’s last five outings (2-3 SU).
Shortstop Francisco Lindor and third baseman Jose Ramirez have led Cleveland’s hitters. Lindor is slashing .296/.372/.564 with 21 home runs, 48 RBIs, 70 runs and 10 steals. Ramirez has a .295 average with 24 homers, 55 RBIs, 58 runs and 14 stolen bases.
In the other dugout, Kansas City’s pitchers have allowed 5.4 runs per game overall in 2018. Its starters have a 5.08 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 5.30 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 7.0 K/9. In 26 games against divisional foes, Royals starters have an ERA of 5.08 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.97.
The Kansas City offense is putting up 3.5 runs per contest, including 3.9 per game against divisional foes and 2.2 per game over its last five. The team has hit .178/.232/.268 over its last five games and is 1-4 SU during that stretch.
The Royals’ offense has been led by second baseman Whit Merrifield and third baseman Mike Moustakas. Merrifield is slashing .289/.360/.403 with four home runs, 24 RBIs, 32 runs and 16 steals, and Moustakas has put up a line of .258/.313/.471 with 16 homers, 53 RBIs and 37 runs scored.
The Indians have lost 14.6 units and are 25-33 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in 28 of those games, compared to 28 that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Royals have lost 26.5 units and are 20-34 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 21 of those games, compared to 29 which went under the total.
Cleveland Indians at Kansas City Royals Free MLB Tip
Predictions: SU Winner – Indians, ATS Winner – Indians, O/U – OVER
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Betting Trends
The under has hit in four of Kansas City’s last seven games.
The Royals have dropped four of their last five games SU.
Cleveland has posted 24.9 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 22.6 over its last five.
The Indians have hit 16 home runs in their last 10 games. The Royals have hit six over their last 10.
*****
