Jason Vargas (3-2, 5.16 ERA) and Carlos Carrasco (6-4, 4.24 ERA) take the hill in the first of a three-game series between the Kansas City Royals (29-19) and the Cleveland Indians (24-26) at Kauffman Stadium. Action begins at 8:10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Jun. 2 and can be seen on STO and FSN-KC.
Vargas is 5-3 with a 4.86 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 35 strikeouts against the Indians. Carrasco is 3-4 with a 4.70 ERA against the Royals in his career. He takes on a good Kansas City offense that’s batting .278. Jason Kipnis (.340, 37 Rs, 5 HRs, 25 RBIs, 5 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Indians, going 2 for 5 Sunday with one run and one RBI.
The odds for Kansas City and Cleveland are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. Within its division, Kansas City has a record of 15-10 SU. The Royals have seen a decline in scoring as of late, averaging 3.2 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 4.7 runs per game. The Royals have no trouble scoring as they rank second in the AL in offense with 4.7 runs per game. The Royals lead the AL in hits with an impressive 9.6 per game. Crossing over to the pitching staff, the Royals are the top team in the AL at limiting hits during home games, allowing only 7.2 hits per contest to their opponents this season.
The Indians are 10-17 against AL Central rivals. The Indians have a dynamic offense, ranking fourth in the league with 155 extra base hits. Cleveland is excellent at drawing walks with an AL-best 3.9 per game.
The Royals lead the season series, 4-2. The Royals have a 19-13 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Carrasco takes the mound. Vargas (RHP) will be on the hill against the Indians, who have a 14-15 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – CLE
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Kansas City is 13-7, while Cleveland is 9-10.
Having scored one run in their last game, the Royals are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Indians have a 6-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Royals are 1-14. The Indians have a 4-21 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 26th in home runs, Kansas City has hit 37 this season. Cleveland ranks 16th with 47 home runs.
Kansas City ranks at the top of the league when it comes to hits with 9.56 per game this season. Cleveland ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 8.60.
Ranking eighth, Cleveland is in the top 10 of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.736). Kansas City ranks in the top five at fourth with an OPS of .747.
When the Indians allow at least one home run, they are 17-20. When the Royals allow one or more homers, they have a 13-13 record.
