The Cleveland Guardians (51-29) travel to face off against the Kansas City Royals (46-38) on Saturday, June 29th. This game will be played at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City and televised on BSGL. The Royals are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Guardians are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Royals. First pitch is set for 3:10 CT.
Guardians vs Royals
Thanks to a seven-run 3rd inning for the Royals’ offense, they cruised to a 10-3 win over the Guardians in the most recent game of this series. Heading into the game, the Royals were favored at -110 on the money line.
The starting pitching matchup for this game featured Triston McKenzie for the Guardians, and he went just 2 1/3 innings while giving up five runs and took the loss. Alec Marsh put together a good outing for the Royals, getting the win after going six innings and giving up one earned run.
Kansas City got a huge performance from Vinnie Pasquantino, as he went 2/4 with a home run and three RBIs. Both Salvador Perez and Hunter Renfroe each drove in two for the Royals’ offense.
Cleveland is on the road today, and they have dropped three straight games, putting their overall record at 51-29, which is good for 1st place in the AL Central. The Guardians lead the Twins by seven games in the division. So far, they are 11-8 in divisional matchups.
At home, the Guardians have gone 26-9 this season, and they are 25-20 on the road. As the favorite, Cleveland is 35-16 this year, and they are 16-13 when listed as the underdog. The Guardians have an overall series record of 18-6-2 this year and have won three straight series.
The Guardians have been a solid bet against the run line, going 45-35 overall. They are 20-15 at home and 25-20 on the road. As the underdog, they are 20-9 vs. the run line, while they are 25-26 as the favorite. Their average run margin in winning games is +3.5, while it is -2.9 in losses.
The Cleveland Guardians are on the road against the Kansas City Royals today, and the over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs. The Guardians have an average combined run average of 8.7 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 38-36 overall. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, their record is 7-7-2, and 47.5% of their games have had higher over/under lines than 8 runs.
Tanner Bibee Gets The Start For The Guardians
Cleveland is sending right-hander Tanner Bibee to the mound today as he faces the Royals on the road. Bibee has made 16 starts this season and has a record of 6-2 with a 3.50 ERA. Coming into the game, he has a WHIP of 1.12 and has turned in six quality starts. Bibee’s most recent outing came vs. the Orioles, where he picked up the win, going six innings and giving up one earned run. Before that, he had won two straight starts. So far, he has been much better on the road, with an ERA of 2.87 compared to 4.96 at home.
Guardians Offense Breakdown
One of the top offenses in the league, the Guardians are averaging 5 runs per game, which is 4th in the MLB. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.2 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting a collective .245, and their team on-base percentage of .319 is 7th in the league. Cleveland has been tough to strike out this season, as their 7 strikeouts per game is 4th best in the league.
Jose Ramirez has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 9/25 in his last six games with three homers. For the season, he is batting .278 with 22 homers and 73 RBIs. Ramirez’s 73 RBIs are 2nd in the league. Josh Naylor is also a big power threat in the lineup, as his 20 homers is 2nd on the team and 6th in the league.
Kansas City is 46-38 overall and trails the Guardians by seven games in the AL Central. The Royals have put together a three-game winning streak, and this has come with an overall division record of 15-9. The Royals have taken the first two games of this series vs. the Guardians and will be the home team today.
At home, the Royals are 29-15 this season and 17-23 on the road. As the favorite, the Royals are 23-12 and 23-26 as the underdog. Kansas City has won three straight at home, and their overall series record is 12-13-1 this year. So far, they are 13-9 as the home underdog.
When the Royals are at home, they have been a solid run-line bet, going 27-17. Their average run margin in winning games is +3.7, compared to -3.1 in losing games. As the underdog, they are 30-19 vs. the run line.
Today’s over/under line for the Kansas City Royals’ game against the Cleveland Guardians is set at 8 runs. The Royals’ games have averaged 8.5 runs per game this season, and their overall over/under record is 35-46. When the line has been set at 8 runs, their over/under record is 9-8-2. In 53.6% of their games this season, the over/under line has been set higher than 8 runs, while in 23.8% of their games, the line has been set lower than 8 runs.
Cole Ragans Gets The Start For The Royals
Kansas City is sending left-hander Cole Ragans to the mound today vs. the Guardians. He has made 17 starts this season and has a record of 5-5 with a 3.03 ERA. Ragans’ WHIP for the season is currently 1.15. In his 17 appearances, he has turned in 12 quality starts and is averaging 11.02 strikeouts per nine innings. Ragans most recent outing came on June 24th vs. the Marlins, where he picked up the win, going six innings and giving up just one earned run. Before that, he had given up at least two earned runs in three straight starts.
Royals Offense Breakdown
Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. have been two of the Royals’ top hitters this season, with Perez batting .286 with 13 homers and Witt Jr. hitting .310 with 12 home runs. Witt Jr. also leads the team with 53 RBIs, which is 10th in the league. Witt Jr. comes into the game on a five-game hitting streak, while Perez has homered in two straight games. Vinnie Pasquantino is also one of the Royals’ top power threats, as he has nine homers this season.
As a team, the Royals are averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 12th in the league. However, they have been much better at home, averaging 5.3 runs per game. Overall, they are 15th in home runs and have the league’s 13th best batting average. Kansas City’s offense has been good at avoiding strikeouts this season, as they are 5th in the league in this category.
Guardians vs Royals Prediction
Our pick for today’s Guardians vs. Royals game is to take the Royals on the money line, with the payout being -110. We have the Royals winning this one by a score of 6-5, giving us a little bit of wiggle room if you wanted to take the over, as the line is sitting at 8 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Cole Ragans is projected to finish with four strikeouts, which is the lowest among today’s starters. As for Tanner Bibee, he is projected to finish with six strikeouts, which is right in the middle of today’s starters.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:June 29, 2024 Guardians, Royals