Kris Medlen (5-1, 3.51 ERA) and Josh Tomlin (6-2, 2.43 ERA) start in the second of a three-game series between the Kansas City Royals (89-64) and the Cleveland Indians (76-76) at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. The Indians won the last game 6-0 and Cleveland leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 7:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sep. 26 and can be seen on STOh and FSKC.
Medlen pitched 5.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering zero runs (three unearned), striking out two and walking three in a 10-3 win over the Tigers. Lorenzo Cain (.307, 98 Rs, 16 HRs, 71 RBIs, 28 SBs) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 5 with one run and two RBIs. Tomlin went 5.2 innings, surrendering zero runs, striking out eight and walking three in a 6-3 win over the White Sox in his last outing.
Kansas City is a -148 favorite against Cleveland and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at eight runs. The Royals have recorded an overall money line of +1,648 and have shown high-level performance as a favorite this season with a record of 55-35. Kansas City has had an impressive season against division opponents, earning 24-19 and 38-30 records as the favorite and SU respectively. Kansas City is one of the best in the MLB in terms of steals, swiping 99 bases. As for the pitchers, opposing offenses have been stifled by the Royals, who have a team ERA of only 3.80.
In games where it is the underdog, Cleveland has a 25-29 record and an overall money line of -1,280. They are 11-10 as the underdog against fellow AL Central members, and 30-39 SU. Cleveland is excellent at drawing walks with 3.4 per game, ranking second in the AL. Shifting to the pitching staff and defense, the The Indians allow just three runs per road game, ranking them first in the AL. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Indians are one of the best in the league with a WHIP of 1.20 for the season.
The Royals lead the season series, 9-8. The Royals have a 61-38 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Tomlin takes the mound. Medlen (RHP) will be on the hill against the Indians, who have a 54-46 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – KC, O/U – Over
Notes
After last game’s shutout win against the Kansas City, the Indians now have nine shutouts this season. The Royals have been shut out in 10 games this season.
Having scored zero runs 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 9-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
When they are outhit, the Indians are 11-56. The Royals have a 13-55 record when opponents outhit them.
Kansas City and Cleveland both rank near the bottom of the league in home runs. Kansas City sits at 25th with 132 home runs this season and Cleveland ranks 23rd with 133.
Ranking sixth, Cleveland is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 8.69 per game. Kansas City ranks in the top five at second with 9.35.
Ranking 14th, Cleveland is in the top half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.728). Kansas City ranks in the top 10 at eighth with an OPS of .741.
The Indians are 44-60 when they allow at least one home run. The Royals perform similarly when they allow one or more homers with a 40-48 record.
