The Cleveland Indians and the Kansas City Royals will wrap up a three-game series on Thursday night. It's time to continue our MLB odds series and make an Indians-Royals prediction and pick.
Both of these teams have had disappointing seasons. The Indians had some hope of making the playoffs earlier in the year, but that's faded quickly as the Chicago White Sox took control of the AL Central. However, Cleveland has been playing better baseball recently, winning seven of their last ten ball games. The same can't be said for the Royals, who are in the middle of another pedestrian stretch of a pedestrian season. Kansas City has been one of the worst teams in baseball this season, earning themselves a 59-73 record. Things probably won't turn around for the Royals, so they're playing for pride at this point.
Here's how the bookmakers have set the lines for Thursday's game.
MLB Odds: Indians-Royals Odds
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Cleveland Indians ML (-102)
Kansas City Royals ML (-108)
Over 8 1/2 runs (-108)
Under 8 1/2 runs (-112)
Why The Indians Could Cover The Spread
The Indians aren't exactly known for their offensive abilities, but even they should be able to take advantage of their matchup in this one. The Royals will entrust Thursday's start to Mike Minor.
Minor has had a pretty rough year to this point, earning himself a a 5.30 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. The last time he faced the Indians he was shelled for six runs over four innings. Another encouraging sign is the history of these Cleveland batters against Minor. The Indians have six projected starters who own a career batting average of .250 or higher against Minor, so this lineup is clearly comfortable facing the lefty.
Cleveland will send out young pitcher Triston McKenzie to make the start in this one. McKenzie's season-long stats aren't great, but he's been on a hot streak recently. Over his last seven starts, the righty has posted a 4.07 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP. He's also faced the Royals twice this season, pitching a total of 12 innings against them without allowing a single run. It's fair to expect a strong performance from McKenzie in this game.
Why The Royals Could Cover The Spread
Despite Minor's discouraging numbers against the Indians this season, there's reason to believe that he can put together a good outing. He has similar stats to McKenzie over his last seven starts, where he's put up a 4.35 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. He's pitching at home, where he's been slightly better than he has been on the road. The Indians are also a slightly worse offensive team when they play on the road, earning a lower batting average, OBP, OPS, and slugging percentage as a team when they're forced to play away from home.
The Kansas City lineup also has some encouraging statistics against McKenzie heading into this game. The Royals are significantly better on offense when they play at home, seeing a boost in all of their batting stats when they defend their home turf. McKenzie struggles when he has to pitch on the road, so this could be the game where Kansas City turns things around against McKenzie.
Final Indians-Royals Prediction & Pick
This is a pretty easy pick. The Indians should win this easily, and the odds make it a simple decision. Cleveland should be much heavier favorites than they are, making this a very straightforward pick.
FINAL PICK: Cleveland Indians ML (-102)
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