The Cleveland Guardians (37-40) and the Kansas City Royals (22-56) open a 3-game series at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Guardians vs. Royals odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: First meeting; Guardians won season series 12-7 in 2022
The Guardians have alternated losses and wins in the last 4 games. That’s the bad news. The good news is that the Cleveland offense has appeared to gain steam lately, racking up 4.9 runs per game (RPG) across the past 10 outings, which is nearly a full run better than the team’s season average of 3.92 RPG, according to covers.com.
The Royals rank 28th in the majors with just 295 runs scored, 7 fewer runs than the Guardians, who rank 27th.
Kansas City has alternated losses and wins across the last 7 games since June 19, and the Royals are just 6-14 inside the division, while going 10-28 on their home field.
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Guardians at Royals projected starters
RHP Gavin Williams vs. RHP Brady Singer
Williams (0-0, 6.35 ERA) makes his 2nd start. He allowed 4 ER, 4 H, 3 BB and 4 K in 5 2/3 IP in a no-decision vs. the Oakland Athletics in his major league debut last Wednesday
- 2023 minor league stats: 4-2, 2.39 ERA (46 IP, 15 ER – 6 HR) with a 0.98 WHIP between 12 starts with a Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus
Singer (4-7, 6.34 ERA) makes his 16th start. He has a 1.57 WHIP, 3.4 BB/9 and 7.9 K/9 in 76 2/3 innings.
- Last start: Loss, 7 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 2 K in a 9-4 road loss vs. the Detroit Tigers last Wednesday
- 2023 home splits: 2-4, 5.84 ERA (44 2/3 IP, 29 ER – 6 HR) with a .291 OBA in 9 starts
Guardians at Royals odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:15 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Guardians -150 (bet $150 to win $100) | Royals +125 (bet $100 to win $125)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Guardians -1.5 (+105) | Royals +1.5 (-125)
- Over/Under (O/U): 9 (O: -120 | U: +100)
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Guardians at Royals picks and predictions
Prediction
Guardians 6, Royals 4
Moneyline
The GUARDIANS (-150) are the play, although Williams is still a bit of an unknown quantity.
Still, the Royals (+125) cannot be trusted, as Singer has been erratic this season, and Kansas City has managed to win just 10 of 38 games at home, good for a winning percentage of just .263.
Run line/Against the spread
The GUARDIANS -1.5 (+105) are worth a look at plus-money on the run line, but play it lightly.
Again, Williams has had just 1 start under his belt in the big leagues, and if Kansas City is going to get well, it could be against an unknown rookie. Of course, we’ve seen Singer plenty, and he has coughed up 4 or more runs in 3 of his last 6 outings, and 8 of his 14 starts.
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Over/Under
OVER 9 (-120) is the lean with Williams and Singer on the mound, although these are the teams ranked 27th and 28th in scoring in the majors, so be careful.
The Over has cashed in each of the past 6 meetings between these AL Central Division foes, although this is the 1st meeting this season.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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