Cleveland Guardians vs Kansas City Royals Betting Pick & Prediction 9/2/24
From Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, we have the Guardians and Royals facing off in an AL Central matchup. The Guardians are currently 1st in the AL Central with a record of 78-59, while the Royals have lost five straight and are 2nd in the division at 75-63.
Kansas City is currently favored on the money line, with the odds sitting at -114 compared to the Guardians at -105. Today’s over/under line is sitting at 8.5 runs, and the forecasted temperature in Kansas City is 68 degrees with a clear sky. Michael Wacha is starting for the Royals, and the Guardians are going with Gavin Williams.
KANSAS CITY ROYALS VS CLEVELAND GUARDIANS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Kansas City Royals Moneyline -114
This game will be played at Kauffman Stadium at 4:10 ET on Monday, September 2nd.
HOW TO BET THE GUARDIANS VS ROYALS:
- We have the Royals winning by a score of 7 to 6
- However, if you’re looking for a run line pick, we like the Guardians to cover
- As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 13 runs and like the over
Guardians Records & Stats
Led by a big game by Kyle Manzardo at the plate, the Guardians are coming off a 6-1 win over the Pirates to close out their series. Manzardo went 2/3 with two homers and two RBIs. The Guardians really broke things open with a four-run 1st inning and added another two runs in the 4th.
Alex Cobb started for the Guardians, going six innings and not giving up a run. He also issued just two hits and struck out six. Cleveland’s offense was carried by José Ramírez, going 2/5 with a homer and two RBIs.
Cleveland is 78-59 overall this season, putting them in 1st place in the AL Central. They hold a 3.5 game lead over the Twins and will be on the road for today’s game vs. the Royals. The Guardians are 22-20 against other teams in the AL Central this season.
The Guardians have been really good at home this year, going 43-25, but they are just one game above .500 at 35-34 on the road. As the underdog, the Guardians have gone 23-29 this season, and they are 55-30 as the favorite. Cleveland won the final two games of their series vs. the Pirates and are 5-5 across their last 10 games.
The Guardians are 68-69 on the run line this season, with a +0.5 run differential per game. They are 35-34 vs. the run line on the road, where they have a +0.3 run differential per game. They are 30-22 vs. the run line as underdogs and 38-47 as favorites.
When the Cleveland Guardians take on the Kansas City Royals tonight, the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs. The Guardians’ games have averaged 8.6 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 65-63. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, their record is 20-17. This season, 19.7% of their games have had an over/under line set at 8.5 runs, and their games have gone under the total in their last two contests.
Cleveland is sending Gavin Williams to the mound today vs. the Royals, and he comes in with a record of 2-7 and an ERA of 4.99. Out of his 11 starts, Williams has turned in just two quality starts, and opponents are batting .251 off the right-hander this year. In his 11 appearances, he has a WHIP of 1.41 and is averaging 9.97 strikeouts per nine innings. Williams has been much better on the road, with an ERA of 3.46 compared to 8.04 at home. His last outing came on August 27th, where he took the loss, giving up two earned runs in five innings of work.
Heading into today’s game, the Guardians are averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 14th in the league. At home, they have been even better, putting up 4.9 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting just .239 and have the league’s worst BABIP, but they have been good at avoiding strikeouts, as their 7 strikeouts per game is the 3rd best mark in the league.
Jose Ramirez has been the team’s top power threat this season, as his 34 home runs are 5th in the league, and he is 2nd in the MLB with 105 RBIs. Over his last seven games, Josh Naylor has gone 10/27 with seven RBIs. Naylor is also on a four-game hitting streak.
Royals Records & Stats
The Royals will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Astros with a 7-2 loss. Kansas City was the +134 underdog on the road going into this matchup. Things started off well for the Royals, as they got on the board with a run in the 1st inning but gave up the lead right away as the Astros scored three times in the bottom of the first.
Alec Marsh got the start for the Royals and took the loss. He only lasted five innings, giving up three earned runs on four hits. Bobby Witt Jr. had a good day at the plate, going 1/4 with a homer and scoring the team’s other run. The Royals also wasted a big game from Tommy Pham, who went 2/5 with a run scored.
Kansas City is 75-63 overall this season, and they are 3.5 games behind the Guardians in the AL Central. The Royals will host the Guardians today, and they are on a five-game losing streak, spanning back to the final game of their series vs. the Mariners. So far, they have gone 29-14 in divisional games this year.
This season, the Royals have been good at home, going 41-28, but they are just one game above .500 at 34-35 on the road. Coming into this one, they have gone 3-7 over their last ten games and were swept by the Astros in their most recent series. As the favorite, the Royals are 43-25 and 27-16 as the favorite at home. Their overall series record is 19-22-2.
The Royals have a run line record of 39-30 at home this season, with an average run margin of +0.7 runs per game. They have a run line record of 76-62 overall, with an average run margin of +0.7 runs per game. They have a run line record of 37-32 on the road, with an average run margin of +0.6 runs per game.
When the Kansas City Royals play at home, the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs. Their combined run average this season is 8.9, and their over/under record is 64-70. The average over/under line for their games is 8 runs, and their over/under record when the line is set at 8.5 runs is 15-23. So far this season, 35.5% of their games have had over/under lines set at 8.5 runs or higher.
Right-hander Michael Wacha gets the start for the Royals today as he faces off against the Guardians. Wacha has made 24 starts this season and has a record of 11-6 with a 3.50 ERA. So far, he has turned in 13 quality starts and is averaging 7.77 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, Wacha finished with a no-decision, giving up five earned runs in six innings of work. Before that, he had won three straight starts. The right-hander has been much better at home, going 6-1 with a 3.80 ERA compared to 5-5 with a 3.85 ERA on the road.
As a team, the Royals are one of the best hitting teams in the league, averaging 4.8 runs per game (7th) and batting a collective .255 (6th). They have been even better at home, averaging 5.2 runs per game (2nd). Overall, they are one of the best home run hitting teams in the league, and their team slugging percentage of .421 is 6th in the MLB.
Bobby Witt Jr. has been one of the league’s top power threats this season, as his 30 home runs are 7th in the league and lead the Royals. He also has a team-high 97 RBIs and is batting .340. However, he has gone just 5/25 in his last six games. Vinnie Pasquantino and Witt Jr. are 1-2 in RBIs for the Royals, with Pasquantino also batting .262 with 19 homers.