Kansas City Royals vs Cleveland Guardians Betting Pick & Prediction 6/4/24
From Progressive Field in Cleveland, we have the Royals and Guardians facing off in an AL Central matchup. The Guardians are currently 1st in the AL Central with a record of 39-20, while the Royals are 2nd in the division at 36-25. Triston McKenzie will start for the Guardians, and the Royals are starting Seth Lugo.
The over/under line for Tuesday’s game is 8.5 runs, and the Guardians are favored on the money line, with their odds sitting at -115. The Royals are -103 on the money line, and this game can be seen on BSKC.
CLEVELAND GUARDIANS VS KANSAS CITY ROYALS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Cleveland Guardians Moneyline -115
This game will be played at Progressive Field at 6:40 ET on Tuesday, June 4th.
HOW TO BET THE ROYALS VS GUARDIANS:
- We have the Guardians winning by a score of 6 to 5
- 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 11 runs and like the over
Royals Records & Stats
To close out their series vs. the Padres, the Royals picked up a 4-3 win. Leading up to the game, they were the slight favorite at -127 on the money line. It was a three-run 4th inning that really turned things in their favor, and the Padres could only score two runs, both of which came in the 8th.
Cole Ragans put together a good start for the Royals, going six innings and giving up just one earned run, and picking up the win. Kansas City’s offense was carried by Nelson Velazquez, who went 1/1 with two RBIs.
Kansas City is 36-25 overall this season, putting them four games behind the Guardians for the AL Central lead. So far, they have gone 12-8 in divisional games. The Royals are just coming off losing two of three in their series vs. the Padres.
At home, the Royals have been strong, going 22-10 this year. But on the road, they are just one game above .500 at 14-15. As the favorite, the Royals are 19-8 this year, and they are an even 17-17 as the underdog. Kansas City’s overall series record is 10-9, and they have dropped two straight series.
The Royals have been a solid bet against the run line this season, going 38-23 overall and 18-11 on the road. They have covered the run line in two straight road games and are 23-11 as the underdog. Their average run margin in winning games is +4.0, while it drops to -2.8 in losses.
Today’s over/under line of 8.5 runs is right on the nose for the Kansas City Royals, as their games have averaged 8.5 runs per game this season. The Royals have a 26-33 over/under record on the year, and when the line has been set at 8.5 runs, they have gone 7-14. Overall, 21.3% of their games have had higher over/under lines than today’s, while 44.3% have had lower lines.
Kansas City is sending Seth Lugo to the mound today vs. the Guardians, and he has been excellent this year. Lugo’s overall record is 9-1, and his ERA is 1.72. So far, he has made 12 starts, and opponents are batting .210 this year. Lugo has made 10 quality starts and is coming off an outing in which he gave up just one earned run in six innings of work. In that outing vs. the Twins, he finished with the win. Lugo has won each of his last four starts. His ERA on the road is 0.87, compared to 2.83 at home.
So far this season, the Royals are averaging 4.9 runs per game, which is 6th in the league. At home, they are even better, averaging 5.5 runs per contest. Overall, they are 6th in team batting average at .252 and have the 8th best on-base percentage and slugging percentage in the league. Heading into today’s game, Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez are two of the league’s top home run hitters, and they are also the top two hitters in the Royals lineup in terms of batting average.
Bobby Witt Jr. has been especially hot of late, going 11/31 in his last seven games, with six RBIs. Vinnie Pasquantino also has two homers in his last six games, while going 9/23 in that stretch. Witt Jr. and Pasquantino are also on five and four-game hitting streaks, respectively.
Guardians Records & Stats
Cleveland closed out their series vs. the Nationals with a 5-2 loss. Heading into the game, the Guardians were the slight favorite at -133 on the money line. Things really got away from the Guardians in the 2nd inning, as the Nationals scored four runs in the inning. Cleveland’s offense scored their only two runs in the 2nd.
Carlos Carrasco got the start for the Guardians and took the loss. He only lasted four innings, giving up five earned runs. Will Brennan was hot at the plate, going 2/3 with a run scored. The Guardians also wasted a good game from Daniel Schneemann, who went 1/3 with two RBIs.
Cleveland is hosting the Royals today with an overall record of 39-20, good for 1st place in the AL Central. They currently lead the Royals by four games heading into today’s matchup. The Guardians closed out their series vs. the Nationals with a win and took the series 2-1.
At home, the Guardians have gone 20-7 this season, and they are 19-13 on the road. So far, they have been really good in day games, going 16-5 this year. As the underdog, the Guardians have won two straight, and they are 12-8 overall as the underdog. Cleveland’s overall series record is 14-5 this year.
The Guardians are 33-26 vs. the run line this season, including a 15-12 mark at home. They are 18-14 vs. the run line on the road, and their average run differential is +1.3 runs per game. They are 15-5 vs. the run line as an underdog, and their average run differential in wins is +3.6.
Today’s O/U line of 8.5 runs is slightly higher than the Cleveland Guardians’ season average of 8.0 runs per game. The Guardians have played 13 games with an O/U line of 8.5 runs, and their record in those games is 5-10. The under has hit in two straight games for Cleveland, and their O/U record for the season is 29-26.
Triston McKenzie will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Rockies, as he finished with a no-decision in that start. Against the Rockies, McKenzie gave up four earned runs in five innings of work. He was tagged for two homers in that outing. Looking back over his last three starts, McKenzie has finished with a no-decision in each outing. He has made 11 starts this year and has a record of 2-3 with a 3.77 ERA. McKenzie’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.38. So far, he has turned in three quality starts and is averaging 8.48 strikeouts per nine innings.
So far this season, the Guardians offense has been one of the league’s best, averaging 5.1 runs per game, which is 4th in the MLB. They have been even better on the road, averaging 5.2 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .238, which is 12th in the league, and have the 6th best on-base percentage in the league. Cleveland’s offense has also done a good job of avoiding strikeouts, as their 7 strikeouts per game is the 5th best mark in the league.
Jose Ramirez comes into the game as the league’s top RBI man, with 57 RBIs, and his 16 homers are 4th in the league. He is also batting .272 for the season and has gone 10/30 with two homers over his last eight games. Josh Naylor is 2nd on the team with 15 homers but is batting just .227 for the season and has gone just 4/33 in his last eight games.