The Kansas City Royals are seeking their fourth win in a row as they play host to the Cleveland Indians at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. The game gets underway 8:15 p.m. ET and SportsTime Ohio will televise the action.
Cleveland Indians at Kansas City Royals Odds
Cleveland (-145) is favored over Kansas City (+135) and oddsmakers have the Over/Under for this one at 9.5 runs (-110 for the over and -110 for the under). Bettors can also wager on the game’s spread with the most recent runline odds sitting at +100 for the Indians -1.5 runs and -120 for the Royals +1.5 runs.
The Indians have gone 89-69 SU this year and are 74-83 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 23.7 units for moneyline gamblers and 20.1 units ATS. The Royals, on the other hand, are 56-102 SU and 80-77 ATS. They’ve lost 26.3 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 6.6 units ATS.
Royals games have had an over/under record of 68-78-11 in 2018. Cleveland has an over/under record of 74-73-10.
Right-hander Josh Tomlin is the probable starter for the visiting Indians. Tomlin is 2-5 with a 6.44 ERA and 41 strikeouts. He’s 0-0 with a 9.00 ERA against Kansas City this year.
The Royals are sending righty Glenn Sparkman (0-3, 4.86 ERA) to the mound. Sparkman has 25 strikeouts and 15 walks to his credit, as well as a WHIP of 1.71. Sparkman has yet to face the Indians this year and did not record a start against them in 2017.
Kansas City’s pitchers have allowed 5.1 runs per game overall in 2018 as a unit. Its starters have an ERA of 4.93, a WHIP of 1.41 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 7.3. The bullpen has a 5.01 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 7.3 K/9. In 72 games against AL Central foes, Royals starters have an ERA of 4.88 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.94.
The Kansas City offense has produced 3.9 runs per outing, including 4.4 per game against divisional foes and 4.2 per game over its last five. The team’s hit .240/.278/.433 over its last five contests and is 4-1 SU during that stretch.
The Royals’ hitters have been led by Whit Merrifield, who is slashing .303/.367/.440 with 12 home runs, 58 RBIs, 87 runs and 41 stolen bases.
In the visiting dugout, Cleveland’s pitchers have allowed 4.0 runs per game and its starters own a 3.41 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 9.66 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.51, along with a WHIP of 1.15 and a K-per-9 of 9.35.
The Indians offense has slashed .258/.334/.435 on its way to 5.0 runs scored per game in 2018, including 5.4 runs per game against divisional foes and 5.4 per game over the team’s last five contests (4-1 SU).
Francisco Lindor has provided a spark to the Cleveland offense. Lindor is slashing .280/.353/.523 with 37 home runs, 90 RBIs, 125 runs and 23 steals.
The Royals are coming off of a 6-1 win against the Reds, while the Indians just got a 10-2 victory over the White Sox.
Cleveland Indians vs. Kansas City Royals Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Indians, ATS Winner – Indians, O/U – OVER
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Notes
Betting Trends
The over has hit in just two of Cleveland’s last seven games.
The Indians have hit 11 home runs in their last 10 games. The Royals have hit 13 over their last 10.
Cleveland has posted 24.3 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 28.6 over its last five.
The Indians have won four of their last five games SU.
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