The Cleveland Guardians (43-44) will look to get back to the .500 mark when they host the Kansas City Royals (25-63) in an AL Central divisional showdown on Friday night.
- Royals vs Guardians Game Info
- Royals vs Guardians Odds & Spread
- Royals vs Guardians Betting Trends
- Royals vs Guardians Prediction & Pick
- Royals vs Guardians Best Bet
Royals vs Guardians Game Info
- Date:'Friday, July 7, 2023
- Time:'7:10 p.m. ET
- Venue:'Progressive Field — Cleveland, OH
- Coverage:'Bally Sports KC and Bally Sports Gr eat Lakes
This series kicked off on Thursday as the Guardians captured a 6-1 victory thanks to a great pitching performance. Starter Tanner Bibee allowed only a single earned run across 5.0 innings before the bullpen finished the contest. Second baseman Andres Giemenez led the offense with 3 runs scored.
Royals vs Guardians Odds & Spread
- Moneyline:'KC: (+150) | CLE: (-178)
- Spread:'KC: +1.5 (-140) | CLE: -1.5 (+116)
- Total:'8 — Over: (-118) | Under : (-104)
The Guardians enter this contest as home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 7:10 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 8 runs with the Over favored at -118 odds.
Royals vs Guardians Betting Trends
- Kansas City is 1-5 straight up in its last six games against Cleveland.
- The total has hit the over in five of Kansas City's last seven games.
- Cleveland is 10-5 straight up in its last 15 home games.
- The total has hit the over in seven of Cleveland's last 10 games against Kansas City.
Royals vs Guardians Prediction & Pick
The Royals will send Daniel Lynch to the mound on Friday, which is noteworthy as he has been one of their better pitchers. The 26-year-old has allowed just 2 earned runs over his last three outings (18.0 innings) and has improved his ERA on the year to 4.14. His WHIP checks in at 1.23 as well (2-3 record).
Cleveland has torched Lynch in the past, though, as the pitcher owns an 8.87 ERA across five starts (0-3 record). The Guardians will give the ball to Aaron Civale, who has posted a 2.96 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in eight starts (2-2 record). He has also logged a 4.12 ERA in seven starts against Kansas City.
There are pros and cons to trusting either pitcher, which hurts because neither offense has been stellar in any way. These teams line up as even except when it comes to the bullpen. Cleveland ranks second with a 3.08 bullpen ERA, while Kansas City ranks 29th (5.11). That's a mismatch too hard to ignore.
Final Score Prediction:'Royals: 4 | Guardians: 5
Royals vs Guardians Best Bet
Lynch has found little to no success against the Guardians lineup in his past showings. Shortstop Amed Rosario has played a huge role in that fact as he is 6-for-11 in his career against Lynch with a pair of doubles and one triple. Rosario also enters Friday 11-for-32 (.344 batting average) in his last seven games. Backing him to record 2+ bases at only slightly juiced odds lines up as a stellar option.