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Two playoff hopefuls take to the diamond as the Cleveland Guardians face the Kansas City Royals. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Guardians-Royals prediction and pick.
Guardians-Royals Projected Starters
Ben Lively vs. Seth Lugo
Ben Lively (11-8) with a 3.92 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP
Last Start: Libely went 4.1 innings giving up nine hits, a walk, and a home run. He would surrender six runs and take a no-decision as the Guardians beat the Pirates.
2024 Road Splits: Lively is 4-6 on the road in 12 starts. He has a 3.90 ERA with a .237 opponent batting average on the road.
Seth Lugo (14-8) with a 3.12 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP
Last Start: Lugo went seven innings giving up six hits, a walk, and a home run. He would surrender just one run in a no-decision as the Royals lost to the Astros.
2024 Home Splits: In 14 starts at home this year, he is 6-5 with a 3.36 ERA and a .240 opponent batting average.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Guardians-Royals Odds
Cleveland Guardians: +1.5 (-184)
Moneyline: +116
Kansas City Royals: -1.5 (+152)
Moneyline: -134
Over: 8.5 (-114)
Under: 8.5 (-106)
How to Watch Guardians vs. Royals
Time: 7:40 PM ET/ 4:40 PM PT
TV: BSGL/BSKC/FS1
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why The Guardians Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Guardians sit 12th in the majors in runs while sitting 22nd in batting average, 18th in on-base percentage, and 17th in slugging. Jose Ramirez leads the way. He is hitting .275 this year with a .331 on-base percentage. Ramirez has 34 home runs this year, plus 105 RBIs. Further, he has stolen 34 bases and scored 101 times. Josh Naylor is also having a stellar year. He is hitting .245 on the year with a .326 on-base percentage. He has 29 home runs, 100 RBIs, and 75 runs scored. Steven Kwan has been one of the most consistent bats in the lineup. He is hitting .295 this year with a .361 on-base percentage. He has 13 home runs, 41 RBIs, and has scored 76 times on the year.
Josh Naylor has led the way in the last week. He is hitting .458 in the last week with a .500 on-base percentage. He has a home run, eight RBIs, and four runs scored in the last week. Meanwhile, Lane Thomas has been solid in the last week. He is hitting .438 in the last week with a home run, four RBIs, and four runs scored. Rounding out the best bats in the last week is Jhonkesny Noel. He is hitting .278 in the last week with a home run, four RBIs, and three runs scores. The Guardians have hit .279 in the last week with nine home runs and 28 runs scored in six games,
Current members of the Guardians have 56 career at-bats against Seth Lugo. They have hit .232 against him. Tyler Freeman is one for three with a home run and two RBIs. Meanwhile, Austin Hedges is two for three with a double and three RBIs. Finally, Steven Kwan is two for five with a double against Lugo.
Why The Royals Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Royals are seventh in the majors in runs scored while sitting seventh in batting average, 16th in on-base percentage, and ninth in slugging. Bobby Witt Jr. has led the way this year. He is hitting .338 on the year with a .392 on-base percentage. Witt has 30 home runs and 97 RBIs. Further, he has stolen 28 bases and scored 117 times. Meanwhile, Maikel Garcia has been solid this year. He is hitting .273 on the year. He has just seven home runs and 54 RBIs but has scored 83 times this year. Salvador Perez rounds out the best bats of the year. He is hitting .273 this year with a .333 on-base percentage. Perez has 25 home runs, 94 RBIs, and has scored 55 runs on the year.
Kyle Isbel has led the way in the last week. He is hitting .238 in the last week with four RBIs and a run scored. Paul DeJong has been productive in the last week, but not hitting well. He is hitting just .150 in the last week with two home runs, four RBIs and four runs scored. The Royals have hit just .184 in the last week with seven home runs and 22 runs scored in seven games.
Current Royals have 53 career at-bats against Ben Lively. They have hit .340 against him. Paul DeJong is 3-9 with a home run and three RBIs. Meanwhile, Bobby Witt Jr. is three for six with an RBI while MJ Melendez is two for five against Lively.
Final Guardians-Royals Prediction & Pick
Ben Lively was up and down in August. He went 2-2 as the Guardians went 4-2 when he started. Still, he allowed six home runs in six starts with a 5.40 ERA. Meanwhile, Seth Lugo is tenth in the majors ERA and 18th in WHIP. Still, he has struggled in the last month. In August, he was 2-3 as the Royals went 2-4 and Lugo has a 4.91 ERA. With the Royals struggling at the plate with Vinnie Pasquantino out, and Seth Lugo struggling as of late, take the Guardians in this one.
Final Guardians-Royals Prediction & Pick: Guardians ML (+116)
