Edinson Volquez (4-3, 2.95 ERA) and the Kansas City Royals (30-20) take on Trevor Bauer (4-2, 2.97 ERA) and the Cleveland Indians (25-27) in a game that has the potential to be low scoring. This is the last of a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals won the last game 4-2 and the series is currently tied 1-1. Action begins at 8:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, Jun. 4 and can be seen on STO and FSN-KC.
Volquez pitched 5.2 innings in his last outing, surrendering three runs, striking out nine and walking one in an 8-4 defeat to the Cubs. Eric Hosmer (.305, 31 Rs, 7 HRs, 33 RBIs, 3 SBs) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run and one RBI. Bauer is 0-1 with a 4.22 ERA when pitching against the Royals. He is up against a good Kansas City offense which is hitting .276 this season. Jason Kipnis (.332, 38 Rs, 5 HRs, 25 RBIs, 6 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday.
Kansas City is a -119 favorite against Cleveland and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The Royals have recorded an overall money line of +834 and have shown high-level performance as a favorite this season with a record of 16-10. Kansas City is an impressive 3-1 as the favorite over its last 10 games. The Royals have seen a decline in scoring as of late, averaging 3.0 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 4.6 runs per game. The Royals have no trouble scoring as they rank third in the AL in offense with 4.6 runs per game. The Royals lead the AL in hits with an impressive 9.5 per game. As for the Kansas City defense and pitching staff, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score runs against the Royals. The 2.8 runs that Kansas City’s pitchers allow per home game makes them the top AL staff at home. The Royals are the top team in the AL at limiting hits during home games, allowing only 7.1 hits per contest to their opponents this season.
In games where it is the underdog, Cleveland has a 9-10 record and an overall money line of -526. They have played poorly as the underdog with a 5-6 record against fellow AL Central members, and a 7-3 record SU. The Indians have a dynamic offense, ranking fifth in the league with 160 extra base hits. Cleveland is excellent at drawing walks with an AL-best 3.9 per game. Shifting to the pitching staff and defense, the The Indians allow just three runs per road game, ranking them first in the AL.
The Royals lead the season series, 5-3. The Royals have a 19-14 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Bauer takes the mound. Volquez (RHP) will be on the hill against the Indians, who have a 15-15 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – KC, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Kansas City is 13-7, while Cleveland is 9-10.
The Royals are coming into this game after allowing zero walks during their last outing. The Indians have a 1-1 record when opponents give up that many walks.
When they are outhit, the Royals are 2-15. The Indians have a 4-21 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 27th in home runs, Kansas City has hit 37 this season. Cleveland ranks 17th with 48 home runs.
Kansas City ranks at the top of the league when it comes to hits with 9.47 per game this season. Cleveland ranks in the top 10 at seventh with 8.55.
Ranking ninth, Cleveland is in the top 10 of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.732). Kansas City ranks in the top five at fourth with an OPS of .740.
When the Indians allow at least one home run, they are 17-20, well-matched with the Royals who are 13-14 when allowing at least one homer.
