Cleveland Guardians vs Kansas City Royals Betting Pick & Prediction 9/4/24
At 7:40 PM ET, the Guardians and Royals face off in an AL Central matchup. This one is being played at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO, and the Guardians are currently on a three-game winning streak. They are 80-59 and 3rd in the AL Central, while the Royals are 75-65.
BSKC is carrying this game on TV, and they are the slight favorite on the money line, with the odds sitting at -138 compared to the Guardians at +117. Wednesday’s over/under line is at 8.5 runs, and Ben Lively is starting for the Guardians, while the Royals are going with Seth Lugo.
KANSAS CITY ROYALS VS CLEVELAND GUARDIANS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Kansas City Royals Moneyline -138
This game will be played at Kauffman Stadium at 7:40 ET on Wednesday, September 4th.
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
Cleveland cruised to a 7-1 win over the Royals in the most recent game of this series. The Guardians had a huge 2nd inning, scoring seven of their eight runs. As for the Royals, they scored their only run in the 5th. Heading into the game, the Guardians were favored at -133 on the money line.
Tanner Bibee only went six innings for the Guardians but gave up just one run and two hits. He finished the game with six strikeouts but issued three walks. On the other side, Brady Singer was tagged for two homers and five runs in 5 2/3 innings of work.
At the plate, Cleveland was led by Brayan Rocchio and Kyle Manzardo. Rocchio went 1/1 with a homer and four RBIs, while Manzardo also had three hits and drove in a run. Will Brennan and Steven Kwan each had two RBIs.
Guardians Records & Stats
Cleveland is on a three-game winning streak, and they lead the AL Central with an 80-59 record. Currently, they are 4.5 games ahead of the Twins for the division lead. The Guardians have gone 24-20 against other teams in the AL Central this year.
At home, the Guardians have been strong, going 43-25 this season. They have also been good on the road, coming in with a record of 37-34. As the favorite, Cleveland is 56-30 this season, and they are 24-29 as the underdog. Cleveland has won two straight games on the road, and their overall series record is 25-13-5.
The Guardians have been a solid bet against the run line this season, going 70-69 overall. They have been particularly good on the road, where they are 37-34 against the run line. Their average run margin on the road is +0.4, and they have covered the run line in two straight games on the road. They have been a better bet as an underdog, going 31-22 against the run line in those games.
Today’s over/under line of 8.5 runs is slightly higher than the average over/under line for Cleveland’s games this season, which is set at 8 runs. The Guardians have played 27 games with over/under lines set at 8.5 runs, and the over has hit in 20 of those contests. Overall, Cleveland’s games have averaged 8.6 runs per game this season, and the over/under record for the Guardians is 65-64.
Cleveland is sending Ben Lively to the mound today vs. the Royals, and he comes in with a record of 11-8 and an ERA of 3.92. Lively has made 24 starts this season, and his WHIP is currently 1.23. So far, he has turned in nine quality starts and is averaging 7.21 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, Lively finished with a no-decision, giving up six earned runs in 4 1/3 innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts. Lively’s ERA at home is 4.29, compared to 4.03 on the road.
Josh Naylor has been swinging a hot bat for the Guardians, going 12/28 in his last seven games with a home run and eight RBIs. Naylor is 2nd on the team with 29 homers this season. José Ramírez has been the team’s top power threat, as his 34 homers are 5th in the league, and his 105 RBIs are 2nd in the MLB. He is batting .273 for the season.
As a team, the Guardians are averaging 4.6 runs per game, and they have been a better offensive team at home, averaging 4.9 runs per contest. Overall, they are 11th in home runs and have the 3rd fewest strikeouts in the league. Currently, Andrés Giménez is on a three-game hitting streak, and Josh Naylor is on a six-game streak.
Royals Records & Stats
The Royals host the Guardians today with an overall record of 75-65, which has them 3rd in the AL Central. Currently, they are 5.5 games behind the Guardians for the division lead. Kansas City will be looking to snap a seven-game losing streak today, which includes dropping the first two games of this series vs. the Guardians.
So far, the Royals have been good against other teams in the AL Central, putting up a record of 29-16. At home, they are 41-30 compared to 34-35 on the road. As the favorite, the Royals are 43-26 this year, and they are 32-39 as the underdog. Kansas City’s overall series record is 19-22-2, and they are just 3-7 over their last 10 games.
When the Royals win, they win big, with an average run margin of 4.1. But when they lose, they lose by an average of 3.4 runs. They have a run line record of 76-64 overall, including a 39-32 mark at home. They are 37-32 on the run line on the road, while they have failed to cover in their last four games at home.
The Kansas City Royals are playing at home against the Cleveland Guardians today, and the over/under line for the game is set at 8.5 runs. The Royals’ games have averaged 8.9 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 64-71. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, their record is 15-23. Overall, 35.0% of their games have had over/under lines set at 8.5 runs or higher.
Seth Lugo gets the start for the Royals today and comes into the game with a record of 14-8 and an ERA of 3.12. So far, he has made 28 starts and 19 of them have been quality starts. Lugo’s most recent outing came against the Astros, where he finished with a no-decision. In that outing, he pitched seven innings, giving up one earned run on six hits. Before that, he had given up at least five earned runs in three straight starts. Lugo has been much better at home, coming in with a record of 6-5 and an ERA of 3.53 compared to 8-3 with a 3.47 ERA on the road.
So far this season, the Royals are averaging 4.8 runs per game, which is 10th in the majors and have been even better at home, where they are averaging 5.1 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .253, which is 7th in the league, and have the 3rd fewest strikeouts in the league. Kansas City’s offense has been led by Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino, who are 1-2 on the team in RBIs and have 30 and 19 homers, respectively.
Witt Jr. has been one of the league’s top power hitters this season but has struggled a bit of late, batting just .235 over his last nine games. Salvador Perez is also near the top of the Royals’ home run and RBI leaderboards, and is batting .274 for the season.