We're set for another MLB betting prediction and pick as we continue our coverage of this weekend's action across the league. This next matchup takes us to the American League where we see two contenders in a heated series. The Cleveland Guardians will visit the Kansas City Royals for Game 3 of their extended four-game series. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Guardians-Royals prediction and pick.

Guardians-Royals Projected Starters 

Tanner Bibee (RHP) vs. Cole Ragans (LHP)

Tanner Bibee (6-2) with a 3.50 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 106 K, 87.1 IP

Last Start: 6/28 @ BAL (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 7 K

2024 Road Splits: (3-1) with a 2.66 ERA, .218 OBA, 53 K, 44.0 IP

Cole Ragans (5-5) with a 3.03 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 120 K, 98.0 IP

Last Start: 6/24 vs. MIA (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 11 K

2024 Home Splits: (4-2) with a 2.96 ERA, .216 OBA, 75 K, 54.2 IP

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Guardians-Royals Odds

Cleveland Guardians: -1.5 (+162)

Moneyline: +100

Kansas City Royals: +1.5 (-196)

Moneyline: -118

Over: 8.5 (+100)

Under: 8.5 (-122)

How to Watch Guardians vs. Royals

Time: 3:10 p.m. ET/ 12:10 p.m. PT

TV: Bally Sports Great Lakes, MLB.TV

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Guardians Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Cleveland Guardians are currently leading the AL Central by a comfortable seven games. They're tied for the second-most wins in the American league with a 51-28 record, going 25-19 in their games on the road. They opened this series against the Royals with a 1-2 loss and will face them again before heading into this Game 3. Their pitching staff and batters found a symbiotic groove notching seven consecutive wins just recently, but they're hoping to climb out of this early hole and avoid dropping to an AL rival.

Tanner Bibee will get the nod for this one and he ranks 11th league-wide in total strikeouts with 106 on the season. His stuff has been nasty all year and when he finds his rhythm on the bump, he's hard to find extra-base hits off of. Over his last two starts, he's pitched 12 innings and only allowed one earned run while sitting down 19 batters. He's pitching his best ball of the season and he'll be the best option for Guardians to break the small losing skid they're seeing. As a team, the Guardians' pitching staff ranks top-6 in ERA, WHIP, and OBA. Their bats are hot at the moment as they rank fifth overall in total runs. Don't expect this Cleveland team to grow at all accustomed to losing for extended stretches.

Why The Royals Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Kansas City Royals are currently third in the AL Central and trail their opponents by eight games in the standings. They got one step closer to shortening the gap in their division with a win over the Guardians as they managed to rally late and come up with some key hits to steal the first game of the series. After a rough patch just last week, they've now won three of their last four and will host once again with a 28-15 home record. They've been known to rally during several games this season and this Royals team is one that can't be counted out until the final out.

As a pitching staff, the Royals rank third league-wide in quality starts and much of that has been attributed toward Cole Ragans' solid performances at home. With a 4-2 record, he's been much better at home and he's limiting his OBA to .216 against road batters. The most impressive part Ragans' game this year has been his ability to strikeout the side and make it to the next inning while stranding runners on base. His 120 strikeouts is fourth-most in the MLB and he comes into this game following a monster 11-strikeout game. Expect him to give the Royals a great chance to take another game at home if their bats can become more productive in the early innings.

Final Guardians-Royals Prediction & Pick

Both teams are playing well at the moment and this could prove to be an important series for both teams. The Royals have gotten off to a hot start and their Game 1 rally could set the tone for the rest of this series. Both teams are featuring great pitchers and we could see a low-scoring affair through the first six innings.

We have to give the slight edge to Cole Ragans and the Kansas City bullpen during this game. His strikeout numbers have been insane this year and this Cleveland team will be swinging eagerly as they try to find their groove. Ultimately, I think Ragans will have another great outing and it will result in an early lead for the Royals.

For our final prediction, let's roll with the Kansas City Royals to get this win at home in another close game as we see the total under hit.

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Final Guardians-Royals Prediction & Pick: Royals ML (-118), Under 8.5 (-122)