Jeremy Guthrie (1-2, 6.52 ERA) and Danny Salazar (3-0, 3.32 ERA) are on the hill in the first of a three-game series between the Kansas City Royals (16-9) and the Cleveland Indians (9-15) at Kauffman Stadium. Action begins at 8:10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May. 5 and can be seen on STO and FSN-KC.
Guthrie is 5-5 with a 6.14 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, and 43 strikeouts against the Indians. Lorenzo Cain (.333, 18 Rs, 3 HRs, 13 RBIs, 6 SBs) went 1 for 4 Sunday with one run, one home run, and one RBI. Salazar is 3-3 with a 5.45 ERA against the Royals in his career. He is up against a quality Kansas City offense that’s batting .296. Michael Brantley (.352, 10 Rs, 1 HR, 12 RBIs, 3 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Indians, going 2 for 3 Sunday with two runs and two RBIs.
The odds for Kansas City and Cleveland are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. Within its division, Kansas City has a record of 11-8 SU. The Royals have no trouble scoring as they rank third in the AL in offense with 5.1 runs per game. The Royals lead the MLB in batting average with a phenomenal team average of .296. Kansas City is one of the best in the MLB in terms of steals, swiping 21 bases. Turning to the pitchers, opposing offenses have been stifled by the Royals, who have a team ERA of only 3.08. The Royals are the second-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.12 so far this season.
The Indians are 5-12 against teams in their division. Offensively, the Indians have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 4.2 runs per game by averaging 5.8 during that stretch. Cleveland is excellent at not striking out with just 6.4 per game, ranking third in the AL.
The Royals lead the season series, 2-1. The Royals have an 8-6 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Salazar takes the mound. Guthrie (LHP) will be on the hill against the Indians, who have inferior records against left-handed starting pitchers on the road and overall of 0-3 and 2-8, respectively.
Predictions: SU Winner – KC
Notes
Cleveland has won 33% (3-6) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Kansas City has won 78% (7-2) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Royals are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Indians have a 2-0 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Royals are 0-5. The Indians have a 2-11 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 19th in home runs, Kansas City has hit 19 this season. Cleveland ranks 11th with 23 home runs.
Kansas City ranks at the top of the league when it comes to hits with 10.40 per game this season. Cleveland ranks in the top 10 at 10th with 8.33.
Ranking 14th, Cleveland is in the top half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.707). Kansas City ranks in the top five at third with an OPS of .783.
The Indians are 7-10 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Royals are 9-5 when they allow at least one homer.
