The Cleveland Guardians (37-40) will be going for the series win when they face the Kansas City Royals (22-56) in the second game of their three-game series on Wednesday night.
Logan Allen, 3-2, 3.68 ERA, will get the start for the Guardians. The Royals have not announced their starter for the game.
Cleveland is 6-4 in its last 10 games against Kansas City.
**This preview was written before Tuesday’s game was played**
The Guardians played well over the past week and they’ve won five of their last seven games. They are now 1.5 games behind Minnesota in the AL Central standings and will try to reduce the gap with a win over the Royals, which will give them their sixth win in their last eight games.
Cleveland is averaging 3.92 runs per game. Their .247 batting average is 17th in the league. Their .311 on base percentage is 22nd, while their .372 slugging percentage is 27th.
Jose Ramirez leads Cleveland with a .293 batting average and 12 home runs, while Josh Naylor leads the team with 57 RBI.
Cleveland’s pitching has been good, with the team giving up 4.18 runs per game. Opponents have a .244 batting average against the Guardians, which is 17th in the league. Their 3.84 ERA is ninth, while their 1.28 WHIP is 16
In his last start, Allen gave up two hits and no runs in four innings, leading to a 6-1 win over Oakland. They will need a similar effort from him if they want to get the win.