Cleveland Guardians vs. Kansas City Royals Total Pick
Date: Wednesday, September 20th, 2:10 ET
Location: Kauffman Stadium
TV: BSKC
Money Line: Guardians -153/Royals +128
Total Line: 9
Betting Preview
Here’s our betting preview for the upcoming MLB clash between the Kansas City Royals and the Guardians on Wednesday, September 20th at Kauffman Stadium. We provide you with a comprehensive analysis, odds, and predictions to help with your handicapping decision or tail our expert based on the projected lineups and listed starting pitchers.
Betting Odds
| ML | RL | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CLE | -153 | -1.5 | O 9 (-119) |
| KC | +128 | +1.5 | U 9 (-102) |
Guardians vs. Royals Projected Lineup
| Batting Order | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Steven Kwan | 1 | LF |
| José Ramírez | 2 | 3B |
| Josh Naylor | 3 | DH |
| Ramón Laureano | 4 | CF |
| Kole Calhoun | 5 | 1B |
| Andrés Giménez | 6 | 2B |
| Will Brennan | 7 | RF |
| Gabriel Arias | 8 | SS |
| Bo Naylor | 9 | C |
| Lucas Giolito | – | SP |
| Batting Order | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Maikel Garcia | 1 | 3B |
| Bobby Witt Jr. | 2 | SS |
| MJ Melendez | 3 | LF |
| Nelson Velázquez | 4 | RF |
| Edward Olivares | 5 | DH |
| Michael Massey | 6 | 2B |
| Logan Porter | 7 | C |
| Drew Waters | 8 | CF |
| Nick Pratto | 9 | 1B |
| Zack Greinke | – | SP |
Straight Up/Over-Under/ Runline Record
Cleveland Guardians: 72-80 SU / OU 65-83 / Runline 77-75
Heading into their game vs. the Royals, the Guardians have a record of 72-80 and have dropped two straight games. In the AL Central, they are in 2nd place and have an overall series record of 19-24-4. At home, they have gone 39-36 and 33-44 on the road.
- The Guardians have two straight losses vs. the runline and have a season-long run margin of -0.1.
- The Guardians have been favored in 48.0% of their games and have runline records of 36-39 and 41-36 at home and on the road, respectively
- So far, the Guardians have an over/under record of just 65-83.
As they take on the Guardians, the Royals have an overall record of 50-102 and are currently last in the AL Central. However, they have rattled off two straight wins. At home, Kansas City has a mark of 30-47 compared to 20-55 on the road. Their series record sits at 9-35-4.
- The Royals have covered the runline in two straight games and have a season-long run margin of -1.2.
- The Royals have been favored in 13.8% of their games and have runline records of 34-43 and 30-45 at home and on the road, respectively
- Through 152 games, the over has hit in half of the Royals’ games at 73-73.
Pitching Matchup
| Pitcher | Appearances | Started | IP | Record | ERA | WHIP | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucas Giolito | 30 | 30 | 170 | 8-13 | 4.59 | 1.24 | 36 |
Entering with a record of 8-13, Lucas Giolito is making his 31st appearance of the season. So far, he has an ERA of 4.59 on a batting average allowed of .229. On the road, he is 3-9 with a 6.93 ERA and 5-4 at home on an ERA of 4.16. For the season, teams have a slugging percentage of .457 against him.
Giolito picked up the win in his most recent outing, as he gave up zero earned runs and two hits across seven innings vs. the Rangers. The Guardians won the game by a score of 12-3.
| Pitcher | Appearances | Started | IP | Record | ERA | WHIP | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zack Greinke | 27 | 24 | 128 | 1-15 | 5.39 | 1.31 | 25 |
Entering with a record of 1-15, Zack Greinke is making his 28th appearance of the season. So far, he has an ERA of 5.39 on a batting average allowed of .285. On the road, he is 0-9 with a 7.60 ERA and 1-6 at home on an ERA of 3.61. For the season, teams have a slugging percentage of .479 against him.
Zack Greinke is coming off a short outing, throwing two innings while giving up zero runs on three hits. Greinke took a no-decision in the Royals’ 4-2 win over the Astros.
Guardians vs. Royals Offense Outlook
With 117 home runs, the Guardians ranks just 25th in the league. However, their batting average is strong, ranking 9th in the MLB at .250. The team’s current OPS stands at .696.
Cleveland Guardians Top Bats
| BA | OBP | SLG | RBI | HR | SB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| José Ramírez | .279 | .354 | .484 | 78 | 24 | 26 |
| Steven Kwan | .275 | .348 | .380 | 54 | 5 | 20 |
| Andrés Giménez | .249 | .316 | .392 | 58 | 13 | 30 |
Cleveland Guardians Top Hitters: Last Five Games
| Player | BA | H | R | HR | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrés Giménez | .430 | 9 | 5 | 1 | .710 |
| Steven Kwan | .430 | 7 | 3 | 0 | .770 |
| José Ramírez | .330 | 6 | 3 | 1 | .530 |
| Bo Naylor | .342 | 4 | 4 | 1 | .850 |
| Josh Naylor | .367 | 8 | 3 | 0 | .407 |
With and average of 4.1 runs per game, Kansas City is 25th in the league so far this year. They have hit 151 home runs which is currently 21st in baseball. Their current batting average of .244 is ranked 13th in the league, while they have a .221 batting average on the road and .248 batting average at home.
Kansas City Royals Top Hitters vs. Righties
| Player | BA | HR | SLG | WOBA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobby Witt Jr. | .273 | 21 | .488 | .340 |
| Salvador Perez | .265 | 16 | .436 | .310 |
| MJ Melendez | .241 | 12 | .422 | .325 |
| Maikel Garcia | .263 | 2 | .341 | .294 |
| Michael Massey | .220 | 14 | .393 | .283 |
Kansas City Royals Top Hitters: Last Five Games
| Player | BA | H | R | HR | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson Velázquez | .250 | 4 | 5 | 2 | .717 |
| Bobby Witt Jr. | .357 | 6 | 5 | 1 | .557 |
| MJ Melendez | .383 | 6 | 4 | 1 | .717 |
| Michael Massey | .250 | 4 | 3 | 1 | .438 |
| Maikel Garcia | .420 | 6 | 2 | 0 | .620 |
Free MLB Pick
Take the Over 8.5
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