Royals vs. Indians Pick
Will the Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals put up enough runs to hit the over when the two meet tonight at 7:10PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Indians are the clear favorite at home, as they are getting odds of -200 to win, while the Royals are getting odds of +185 to win. The over/under total for the game is listed at 8.5 runs. These two have met three times this season, hitting the under in all three meetings.
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Today’s pitching matchup has Mike Clevinger (2-1, 1.56 ERA) on the mound for the Indians to face Ian Kennedy (0-4, 4.06) of the Royals. Clevinger has started three games this year. He is coming off a 7-inning, 2-hit performance last week. He has pitched 17.1 innings, allowing just three earned runs with 11 walks and 19 strikeouts. His WHIP is 0.98. Kennedy is struggling right now. He has failed to mix it through six innings in his last three starts. He has allowed 17 earned runs in 37.2 innings and has 18 walks with 32 strikeouts. His WHIP is 1.17.
The Royals are coming off a pair of series losses to the Yankees and Twins on the road. KC is now 19-27 overall and 7-16 on the road while going 28-16 with the under. Kansas City is putting up just 3.33 runs per game while allowing 4.33. The Royals are led by Salvador Perez, who is putting up 11 home runs and 28 RBI with a .280 average. Mike Moustakas also has 11 home runs to go with 24 RBI.
Cleveland is coming off a loss to the Reds at home on Wednesday. The Indians are now 24-21 overall, 8-11 at home and 26-16 with the under. Cleveland is averaging 4.36 runs per game while allowing 4.09. The Indians are being led by Francisco Lindor, who has 10 home runs, 13 doubles and 22 RBI. Jose Ramirez has six home runs with 24 home runs.
Neither offense has been quite as productive as they expected to be this season. The unders have been the play in this series, as the two have pushed or hit the under in eight of their last nine meetings. Clevinger has pitched well on the mound and should be able to keep this poor KC lineup in check. He then can hand the ball to the solid Cleveland bullpen. Kennedy has been shaky, but I don’t think he will get lit up enough for these two to hit the over. Cleveland has struggled at home this season and I expect that to continue.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: ROYALS/INDIANS UNDER 8.5