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The Cleveland Guardians (79-59) and Kansas City Royals (75-64) play the middle contest of a 3-game series Tuesday. First pitch from Kauffman Stadium is set for 7:40 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Guardians vs. Royals odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Royals lead 7-4
The Guardians fell behind 1-0 in the bottom of the 2nd inning, but they picked up 2 runs each in the top of the 5th and 6th innings to take a lead they’d never relinquish. Cleveland won 4-2, cashing the road favorite (-120) as the Under (8) cashed.
With Minnesota’s 5-4 win at Tampa Bay, Kansas City dropped to 3rd place in the AL Central Division, 4 1/2 games back of the 1st-place Guardians, with the Twins 3 1/2 games out.
Cleveland has picked up 4 wins in the past 5 games to pick itself up off of the mat after slipping into a tie for 1st place after dropping the 1st 3 games of a 4-game set against Kansas City Aug. 26-27. The Under has cashed in each of the past 3 outings.
Since the Royals won 3 in a row to start the Guardians series at Progressive Field, Kansas City has dropped 6 in a row, while getting outscored 32-16. The Under has cashed in 3 of the past 4 outings.
Guardians at Royals projected starters
RHP Tanner Bibee vs. RHP Brady Singer
Bibee (10-7, 3.65 ERA) makes his 27th start. He has a 1.13 WHIP, 2.2 BB/9 and 9.8 K/9 in 143 IP.
- Last start: No-decision, 5 IP, 5 ER, 8 H (3 HR), 2 BB, 6 K in 7-5 home victory vs. Royals Wednesday
- 2024 road splits: 6-3, 2.81 ERA (73 2/3 IP, 23 ER), 1.05 WHIP, .224 opponents’ batting average (OBA), 16 BB, 78 K in 13 starts
- 2024 vs. Royals: 1-0, 5.06 ERA (16 IP, 9 ER), 5 HR, 3 BB, 16 K, .277 OBA in 3 starts
- Career vs. Royals: 1-0, 4.29 ERA (21 IP, 10 ER), 5 HR, 1.38 WHIP, 8.6 K/9 in 4 starts
Singer (9-9, 3.36 ERA) makes his 28th start. He has a 1.24 WHIP, 2.4 BB/9 and 8.7 K/9 in 152 2/3 IP.
- Last start: No-decision, 6 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 6 K in 6-3 road loss vs. Houston Astros Thursday
- 2024 home splits: 6-5, 2.88 ERA (84 1/3 IP, 27 ER), 1.10 WHIP, .230 OBA, 20 BB, 82 K in 14 starts
- Career vs. Guardians: 2-2, 4.98 ERA (68 2/3 IP, 38 ER), 1.38 WHIP, 6.8 K/9 in 13 appearances (12 starts)
Who’s going yard? Here’s a breakdown of today’s best home run props with our top picks. Include the BetMGM bonus code SBWIRE to score a $1,500 first-bet offer.
Guardians at Royals odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:18 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Guardians -116 (bet $116 to win $100) | Royals -102 (bet $102 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Guardians -1.5 (+136) | Royals +1.5 (-164)
- Over/Under (O/U): 8 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Guardians at Royals picks and predictions
Prediction
Royals 4, Guardians 3
Moneyline
The ROYALS (-102) are worth playing in the middle game of this series, as they try to snap a 6-game losing streak and get back on track. Kansas City was playing good baseball just a week ago, and it was tied for 1st place. It all fell apart, but things aren’t out of reach, and Kansas City has to get going quickly.
Singer is a solid pitcher with a nice 2.88 ERA at home this season, and he has a lengthy history against Cleveland.
Run line/Against the spread
If you’re a little more conservative and can’t bring yourself to back Kansas City straight up, try ROYALS +1.5 (-164) on the run line as the underdog for a little bit of insurance.
Despite the skid, Kansas City is still 9-4 on the run line as an underdog with 7 outright victories.
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Over/Under
UNDER 8 (-110) is a strong play in this game. We had just 6 total runs on the board in the series opener, and the total has gone low in 3 of the past 4 games for Kansas City, with the Royals going for exactly 2 runs of offense in each of the previous 4 contests.
Cleveland has ticked off 3 straight Under results, and the Under is 4-2 in the past 6 games on the road, too.
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