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The Royals make the trip to Cleveland to face the Guardians! These two teams have been fighting to be the best team in the AL Central. Both teams have been playing very well to open the season, making this a big matchup early on. Our MLB odds series has our Royals-Guardians prediction, odds, and pick for Wednesday.
The Royals have played well to start the year with a 36-25 record and they just broke a three-game losing streak in their last time out. Their pitching is a top-10 unit, while their batting has also been a top-10 unit. Seth Lugo has made a potent pitching combination with Brady Singer, Alec Marsh, and Cole Ragans. Their bats have also improved, and have been red-hot recently. Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. have been the main standouts for the Royals behind the plate, but Maikel Garcia and Vinnie Pasquantino have also played decent. The Royals have been one of the bigger surprises this season and are not slowing down.
The Guardians have been great this season at 39-20. They most recently lost a game that snapped a two-game winning streak as well. Their bats have dipped recently and are in the middle of the pack behind the plate. In comparison, their pitching has been a top-10 pitching staff. Steven Kwan, Jose Ramirez, Andres Gimenez, Tyler Freeman, and Josh Naylor have carried the Guardians behind the plate. Tanner Bibee, Triston McKenzie, and Ben Lively have held down the fort in the pitching staff very well despite their ace, Shane Bieber, being injured and getting Tommy John Surgery. The Guardians have been great to start the year and they get a huge game against the Royals within their division.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Royals-Guardians Odds
Kansas City Royals: -1.5 (+164)
Moneyline: +108
Cleveland Guardians: +1.5 (-200)
Moneyline: -126
Over: 8.5 (-122)
Under: 8.5 (+100)
How to Watch Royals vs. Guardians
Time: 6:40 pm ET
TV: Bally Sports Great Lakes
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Royals Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Royals are starting Brady Singer on the mound. He has a 4-2 record, a 2.63 ERA, and a 1.12 WHIP on the year up to this point. Through 61.2 innings, he has allowed 19 runs on 50 hits with 19 walks and 64 strikeouts. He has started in 11 games so far this season and the Royals are 8-3 in those games. In his last start, he pitched five innings and allowed two runs on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts in a Royals win. Singer is one of several pitchers having a great season with the Royals and presents a tough challenge for a Guardians offense that has cooled off recently.
The Royals offense has been red-hot recently after starting the season slow. They are seventh in team batting average at .252 after finishing last season at .253. Their offensive output has been led by Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. almost every batting category. Perez leads the way in batting average at .315, in home runs at 10, and in OBP at .381. Witt Jr. then leads the way in RBI at 42 and in total hits at 76. The Royals have played great offense recently and based on the lineup they would get an interesting matchup against Tanner Bibee, and he has been inconsistent overall.
Why The Guardians Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Guardians have not announced who is starting yet, but based on their lineup it will most likely be Tanner Bibee. He has a 4-1 record, a 3.74 ERA, and a 1.17 WHIP. Bibee has allowed 27 runs on 58 hits with 18 walks and 69 strikeouts. In his 12 starts, the Guardians are 11-1. In his last start, he pitched 6.1 innings and allowed one run on three hits with one walk and seven strikeouts in a Guardians win. Assuming Bibee gets the nod, it would be a massive matchup against a Royals offense that has been red-hot of late.
The Guardians are a talented team behind the plate but cooled off recently. They are 15th in team batting average at .238 after finishing last season with a .259 batting average which was one of the best in the league. The offense is led by Jose Ramirez and Andres Gimenez leads the way in most of the batting categories. Ramirez leads the way in home runs at 16, in RBI at 57, and in hits at 63. Gimenez then leads the way in batting average at .276 and in OBP at .336. This offense has shown flashes, but a matchup against Singer on the mound for the Royals does not help.
Final Royals-Guardians Prediction & Pick
This is a great matchup between the two best teams in the AL Central. The key is pitching. Singer has more to like this season than Bibee, if it winds up being him. The Royals also have the more trustworthy offense with Perez and Witt Jr. being a massive dynamic duo. Expect the Royals to win and cover on the road.
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Final Royals-Guardians Prediction & Pick: Royals -1.5 (+164)
