Kansas City Royals vs Cleveland Guardians Betting Pick & Prediction 8/26/24
Cleveland and Kansas City are set to face off in an AL Central matchup at 1:10 PM ET at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. The Guardians are on a two-game winning streak and are 75-55, while the Royals have lost two straight and are 72-58.
The over/under line for Monday’s game is currently at 8.5 runs, and the Royals are favored on the money line, with their odds sitting at -122 compared to +102 for the Guardians. Nick Sandlin is set to start for the Guardians, while the Royals are sending Cole Ragans to the mound.
CLEVELAND GUARDIANS VS KANSAS CITY ROYALS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Cleveland Guardians Moneyline +102
This game will be played at Progressive Field at 1:10 ET on Monday, August 26th.
HOW TO BET THE ROYALS VS GUARDIANS:
- We have the Guardians winning by a score of 7 to 6
- If you’re looking for a run line pick, we also like the Guardians to cover
- As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 13 runs and like the over
Royals Records & Stats
To close out their series vs. the Phillies, the Royals took an 11-3 loss. Leading up to the game, the Royals were the slight favorite at -140 on the money line. It was a five-run 3rd inning by the Phillies that really turned things in their favor, and the Royals could only score three runs, all of which came in the 3rd.
Seth Lugo had a rough outing, giving up 11 hits and five earned runs in just 5 1/3 innings of work. The Royals’s offense was carried by MJ Melendez, who went 2/3 with a homer and three RBIs.
Kansas City is three games behind the Guardians in the AL Central as they are 72-58 overall. The Royals have dropped two straight games, losing the final two games of their series vs. the Phillies. So far, they have gone 26-13 in divisional games.
At home, the Royals have gone 41-28 this season and are just above .500 at 31-30 on the road. As the road favorite, the Royals have gone 15-9 this season, and they are 42-25 as the favorite overall. Kansas City’s overall series record is 19-21-1, and they are currently on a four-game winning streak on the road.
When it comes to the run line, the Royals have been a solid bet this season, going 73-57. They have been especially good on the road, where they are 34-27 against the run line. Their average run differential on the road is +0.7, which is also their average run differential overall. They have covered the run line in four straight road games.
The Kansas City Royals are on the road facing the Cleveland Guardians today. The over/under line for the game is set at 8.5 runs, which is lower than their combined run average of 9.0 runs per game. The Royals’ over/under record for the season is 60-66, and they have hit the over in three straight games.
Cole Ragans is looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Angels, as he got the start and took the loss in that game. Against the Angels, he gave up five runs (four earned) in five innings of work. Before that outing, he had won three straight starts. Ragans’ record for the season is 10-8, and his ERA is 3.31. Opponents are batting .213 vs. Ragans this season. Out of his 26 starts, he has turned in 17 quality starts and has a WHIP of 1.15. For the year, he has allowed 14 homers and is averaging 10.81 strikeouts per nine innings.
Coming into today’s game, the Royals are 8th in the league in runs scored, averaging 4.8 runs per game. At home, they have been even better, averaging 5.2 runs per contest. Overall, they are one of the league’s top home run-hitting teams, and they also have a strong team batting average of .257. As a team, the Royals are the league’s 2nd toughest team to strike out.
Over the team’s last seven games, MJ Melendez has gone 6/17 with two homers and three RBIs, while Michael Massey has gone 9/20. Massey is also on a three-game hitting streak. Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez are the team’s top two home run hitters, and Witt Jr. comes into the game with a team-high 93 RBIs.
Guardians Records & Stats
The Guardians’s offense was carried by Jhonkensy Noel in their most recent game vs. the Rangers. Noel went only 1/3, but his one hit was a home run, and he drove in three runs. The Guardians also got a big game from David Fry, going 1/3 with a homer.
Matthew Boyd started for the Guardians, going six innings and giving up just one run on three hits. He only had four strikeouts in the outing and got the win.
Cleveland is hosting the Royals today with an overall record of 75-55, which has them leading the AL Central by three games. The Guardians are currently on a two-game winning streak, and they closed out their series vs. the Rangers with a win. So far, they are 21-17 in divisional games.
The Royals are in 2nd place in the AL Central, and they will try to cut into the Guardians’ three-game lead today. Kansas City is 72-58 overall and have dropped two straight games. Their last series came vs. the Mariners, and they dropped two of three games. As the underdog, the Royals have lost two straight, and they are 23-28 as the underdog overall.
The Guardians have been a solid run line bet this season, going 64-66 overall. They have been slightly better at home, going 29-32 on the run line. Their average run margin for the season is +0.6 runs per game, and they have been slightly better at home compared to on the road. They are currently on a two-game run line win streak and have been a better bet as the underdog this season.
Today’s over/under line of 8.5 runs is right on par with the Cleveland Guardians’ combined run average for the season. Their over/under record is 62-59, and when the line has been set at 8.5 runs, they have gone over the total 19 times and under 16 times. Overall, only 19.2% of their games have had higher lines than 8.5 runs.
Cleveland is starting Nick Sandlin today vs. the Royals, and he has made 56 appearances this season. Sandlin has a record of 7-0 and an ERA of 3.88. This year, opponents are batting .202 off the right-hander, and his WHIP for the season is 1.17. Sandlin most recently pitched on August 22nd vs. the Yankees, where he went two-thirds of an inning out of the bullpen, giving up two earned runs, one walk, and one homer. He didn’t give up a homer in his previous two outings. Sandlin has allowed a homer in three of his last five outings.
Heading into today’s game, the Guardians are averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 13th in the league. At home, they have been even better, putting up 5 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting just .237, but they do have the league’s 13th ranked scoring offense. Cleveland’s offense has been led by Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor, who have combined for 61 homers and 194 RBIs this season.
Over his last eight games, Jhonkensy Noel has gone 8/25 with three homers and six RBIs. During this stretch, he has scored eight runs. Daniel Schneemann and Will Brennan are both on three-game hitting streaks for the Guardians.