Carlos Carrasco (12-10, 3.70 ERA) and Edinson Volquez (13-7, 3.49 ERA) start in the first of a four-game series between the Cleveland Indians (70-71) and the Kansas City Royals (84-58) at Progressive Field. Action begins at 7:10 p.m. ET on Monday, Sep. 14 and can be seen on STOh and FSKC.
Carrasco pitched 2.2 innings in his last outing, surrendering four runs, striking out five and walking three in a 7-4 defeat to the White Sox. Volquez went 7.0 innings, surrendering two runs and striking out three in a 4-2 win over the Twins in his most recent start. Ben Zobrist (.290, 69 Rs, 12 HRs, 51 RBIs, 2 SBs) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 4 yesterday.
Cleveland is a -129 favorite against Kansas City and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at eight runs. The Indians have an overall money line of -1,183 and a record as the favorite of 46-42. Cleveland has had a discouraging season against division opponents, earning records of 14-24 and 23-33 as the favorite and SU respectively. Cleveland is one of the best in the AL in terms of walks, earning an average of 3.4 per game. Cleveland’s pitchers fall apart when division rivals are on the field. Its average runs allowed per game rises to 4.6 against fellow AL Central members, compared to its 4.1 season average. The Indians are the fourth-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.20 so far this season.
In games where it is the underdog, Kansas City has a 33-26 record and an overall money line of +1,922. They have been playing solid baseball as the underdog with a 13-8 record against AL Central opponents, and a 35-25 record SU. Offensively, they average four runs per game on the road, which is fifth in the AL. The Royals are tough outs for opponents, ranking second in the AL with 9.3 hits per road game. The Royals are an excellent base stealing team with 93 stolen bases, ranking fifth in the MLB. Kansas City’s pitching staff is one of the top in the AL, with a 3.76 ERA.
The Royals lead the season series, 7-5. The Indians have a 50-42 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Volquez takes the mound. Carrasco (RHP) will be on the hill against the Royals, who have a very good 58-33 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cle, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Kansas City is 33-20, while Cleveland is 22-24.
The Royals are coming off of a weak pitching game where they recorded five strikeouts. The Indians have a record of 26-12 when opponents’ pitchers have that many strikeouts or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Indians are 59-11. The Royals have a 66-8 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 21st in runs, Cleveland has earned 579 this season. Kansas City ranks fifth with 640 runs.
Ranking 30th, Kansas City is at the bottom of the league in walks, notching 322 this season. Cleveland ranks in the top five at fourth with 476.
The Indians are 51-28 when they hit at least one home run. The Royals perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 58-25 record.
