The Cleveland Indians will do battle against the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field. The opening pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. ET and SportsTime Ohio is in line to broadcast the action.
Kansas City Royals vs. Cleveland Indians Odds
Kansas City (+230) is the underdog to Cleveland (-260) and Vegas has set the Over/Under for this afternoon’s game at 8 runs. The odds for wagering on the game’s total sit at -105 for the under and -115 for the over. Bettors can also wager on the game’s spread with the current runline odds standing at +105 for the Royals +1.5 runs and -125 for the Indians -1.5.
The Indians are 19-19 SU and 14-23 ATS. The team has lost 10.3 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 11.2 units against the spread (ATS). Cleveland has a 3-5 ATS mark over its last seven games and the total has gone over in five of those seven. On the other hand, the Royals have gone 13-26 SU this year and are 17-21 ATS. Overall, the team’s lost 8.8 units for gamblers taking the moneyline through the early part of the season and 7.2 units ATS. Kansas City has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in four of those seven.
Cleveland games have had an over/under record of 19-17-1 so far in 2018. Royals games have gone under 21 times, gone over 15 times and pushed on two occasions.
Danny Duffy will get the nod for the visiting Royals. The left-handed Duffy is 1-4 with a 5.15 ERA and 39 strikeouts. He’s 0-1 with three strikeouts and a 4.76 ERA against Cleveland this year (three starts).
The Indians are sending righty Corey Kluber (5-2, 2.62 ERA) to the mound. Kluber has 57 strikeouts and 10 walks to his name, as well as a 0.81 WHIP. Kluber hasn’t faced the Royals yet this year, but he made two starts against them in 2017, putting together a spotless 2-0 record with a 0.73 ERA and 13 strikeouts.
Cleveland’s pitchers have allowed 4.4 runs per game overall in 2018 as a unit. The club’s starting pitching staff has a 3.53 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 5.36 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 9.1 K/9. In 11 games against AL Central foes, Indians starters have an ERA of 1.65 and the bullpen’s ERA is 1.88.
The Cleveland offense is putting up 4.7 runs per outing, including 4.2 per game against divisional foes and 5.4 per game over its last five. The team’s hit .229/.297/.452 over its last five games and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.
The Indians’ hitters have been led by shortstop Francisco Lindor and third baseman Jose Ramirez. Lindor is hitting .311/.376/.615 with 12 home runs, 24 RBIs, 33 runs and five stolen bases, and Ramirez is batting .279 with 11 homers, 24 RBIs, 24 runs and five steals.
Ramirez appeared to take a step back when facing lefties at home last season, slashing .295/.340/.442 across 103 such plate appearances (his overall season line was .318/.374/.583).
For the visiting squad, Kansas City’s pitchers have allowed 5.7 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 5.15 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 7.35 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 5.83, along with a WHIP of 1.38 and a K/9 of 6.18.
The Royals offense has slashed .260/.328/.398 on its way to 4.2 runs scored per game in 2018, including 3.7 runs per game against divisional foes and 7.2 per game over the team’s last five outings (2-3 SU).
Outfielder Jorge Soler and third baseman Mike Moustakas have led Kansas City’s offense. Soler is hitting .333/.434/.548 with five home runs, 18 RBIs and 18 runs scored, while Moustakas (.293/.327/.554) has produced 10 homers, 29 RBIs and 25 runs scored.
Soler seemed to have some trouble hitting right-handed pitchers on the road last year. Over 34 such plate appearances, he maintained a slash line of .103/.235/.138 (his total season line was .144/.245/.258).
The Royals have lost 12.1 units and are 9-14 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has hit in nine of those games, compared to 12 that’ve hit the under in such games. On the other hand, the Indians have lost 1.1 units and are 5-8 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in seven of those games, as opposed to six that’ve cashed the under.
Kansas City Royals vs. Cleveland Indians Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Indians, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – OVER
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Notes
Betting Notes
The Royals have hit 13 home runs in their last 10 games, including eight over their last five.
Cleveland has recorded 27.1 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 20.6 over its last five.
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