Corey Kluber (4-6, 4.15 ERA) and Chris Young (2-5, 5.94 ERA) take the hill in the last of a four-game series between the Cleveland Indians (30-24) and the Kansas City Royals (30-25) at Progressive Field. The Indians won the last game 7-1, and Cleveland can finish out the series sweep with a win in this game. Action begins at 1:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jun. 5 and can be seen on STOh and FSKC.
Kluber pitched 7.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering six runs and striking out six in a 7-3 defeat to the Rangers. Mike Napoli (.238, 37 Rs, 13 HRs, 41 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI. Young went 3.0 innings, surrendering zero runs, striking out five and walking two in a 10-5 win over the Rays in his last outing.
The odds for Cleveland and Kansas City are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. Within its division, Cleveland has a record of 13-8 SU. The Indians have no trouble scoring as they rank third in the AL in home offense with 5.4 runs per game. The Indians are one of the best in the AL in terms of hits at home with a phenomenal 9.6 per game. Cleveland is one of the best in the MLB in terms of steals, swiping 39 bases. Cleveland’s pitching staff has been doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, only allowing an average of 0.0 runs per game, well under their season average of 0.0. The Indians are the fifth-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.227 so far this season.
The Royals are 17-7 against AL Central opponents. Offensively, the Royals have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 0.0 runs per game by averaging 0.0 during that stretch. The Royals are an excellent base stealing team with 40 stolen bases, ranking third in the MLB. The Royals allow 0.0 runs per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 0.0 runs per game during that span. The Royals have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an AL-best 6.8 strikeouts per road game, making them one of the top five teams in the league.
The Indians have controlled the season series, 5-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – CLE
Notes
Kansas City has won 50% (12-12) of its games when leading after seven innings. However, Cleveland has won 52% (13-12) of its games when taking a late lead.
Having scored one run in their last game, the Royals are going to have to step it up if they want to win this matchup. The Indians have a 12-0 record in games where opponents scored one run or less.
When they are outhit, the Royals are 4-15. The Indians have a 5-14 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 28th in home runs, Kansas City has hit 47 this season. Cleveland ranks 15th with 61 home runs.
Ranking 12th, Cleveland is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.89 per game. Kansas City ranks in the top five with 9.20.
Ranking 16th, Kansas City is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.728). Cleveland ranks in the top half at 11th with an OPS of .747.
When the Royals allow at least one home run, they are 16-18, well-matched with the Indians who are 19-20 when allowing at least one homer.
