Royals, Indians engage in AL Central battle
Salvador Perez’s temporary replacement at catcher hasn’t been the problem, but the Royals continue to find themselves squandering chances against inferior opponents.
The AL Central leaders hope to avoid their third consecutive defeat today, with a 7:15 p.m. ET first pitch vs. the Indians. Oddsmakers at online sports book Bovada.lv favor the Tribe, while Ned Yost’s visiting gang enters as a +113 underdog. The over/under run figure is eight.
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Cleveland captured last night’s series opener, 6-1, as Kansas City’s erratic offense flatlined yet again. Drew Butera, stepping in for the injured Perez (quad contusion), was the lone authoritative presence in the lineup. The former fifth-round selection homered in the third to raise his average to .308 in 14 contests.
Butera’s next foe arrives in the form of Josh Tomlin (7-1, 3.79 ERA). Despite some flashy numbers on the surface, Tomlin’s by no means bulletproof. He allowed eight runs in 3 2/3 innings of a 9-2 defeat to Texas. In addition, the Royals reached him for four runs on May 8.
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Ian Kennedy (4-3, 3.03), whose most recent outing featured five walks, toes the rubber for the reigning World Series champs. The veteran righty has permitted two earned runs or fewer in eight of 10 starts, though, and figures to exploit a Michael Brantley-less batting order. We expect him to thrive, frankly, in such a setting. Take Kansas City to steady itself this evening.
SATURDAY MLB FREE PICK: ROYALS +1.5
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