Royals vs. Indians Pick
The Cleveland Indians play their first game since seeing their AL-record 22-game win streak end at the hands of the visiting Kansas City Royals. First pitch Saturday afternoon is at 4:10PM EST.
Cleveland is a -220 favorite to win on the moneyline according to sports book Bovada.lv. Kansas City is a +190 underdog and the over-under is set at 8.5.
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Pitching for the Royals will be Jason Hammel (8-11, 4.91 ERA), while the Indians are going with Carlos Carrasco (15-6, 3.41). Hammel enters play with a 1.39 WHIP and 132 strikeouts in 165 innings. He was hit hard for five earned runs on 10 hits with seven strikeouts and two walks in 3 1/3 innings in his last start, an 11-3 home loss to the White Sox. Hammel has a 4.83 ERA in 13 road starts. Carrasco has a 1.08 WHIP with 201 strikeouts in 179 1/3 innings. He threw six shutout innings in an 11-0 home win over the Tigers his last start, giving up seven hits while striking out nine and walking one. Carrasco has a 4.29 ERA in 13 home starts.
Kansas City comes in with a 73-74 record and is 34-38 on the road, while Cleveland is 91-57 and 43-30 at home. The Indians have won seven of the last 10 meetings and the total has gone under six times.
Cleveland had its American League-record 22-game winning streak, second-longest in MLB history, come to a close Saturday night with a 4-3 defeat to the Royals. Lorenzo Cain was 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, a run and an RBI to pace Kansas City. Alex Gordon went 2-for-4 with a double and a run, while Brandon Moss and Alcides Escobar each hit a solo home run. Jason Vargas allowed three earned runs over five innings to garner the win. Francisco Lindor went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, a stolen base and a run scored for the Indians. Jose Ramirez hit a two-run homer, while Yandy Diaz finished 2-for-4. Trevor Bauer gave up four earned runs in 5 1/3 innings to take the loss.
There is a possibility the Indians rest some key starters for this game. They have nothing important, there is always the chance for a letdown the game after a long win streak ends, and the 22-game stretch had to have been mentally exhausting with every game feeling like the playoffs. Carrasco is in the midst of an unreal stretch, but he’s had a history of getting out of wack or losing concentration. for a period of time. Not having a winning streak to protect might be such a case. Hammel is having a down year for the Royals, but he’s had some bad luck and if he is facing a September ‘B’ lineup his chances improve drastically. Take a look at the Cleveland lineup when it’s posted before making a play on Kansas City.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: KANSAS CITY ROYALS +190