The Guardians (72-80, 33-44 away) and Royals (50-102, 30-47 home) square off in three of this AL Central series. Zack Greinke will take the mound for the Royals against Lucas Giolito for the Guardians. See who I like to come out on top in this Cleveland Guardians vs. Kansas City Royals showdown in Kansas City.

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS VS KANSAS CITY ROYALS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Kansas City Royals +1.5 Runs

This game will be played at Kauffman Stadium at 2:10 ET on Wednesday, September 20th.

WHY BET THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS:

  • The Guardians have gone just 1-2 in their last three games vs. the runline.
  • Kansas City is riding a 2 runline win streak when going into a game as the underdog.
  • Lucas Giolito has given up six home runs across his last three starts.

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS SEEK TO IMPROVE THEIR ROAD RECORD

152 games into their season, the Guardians are 2nd in the AL Central on an overall record of 72-80. Against other teams in the AL Central, Cleveland is 22-26 while their overall series win percent sits at 44%. At home, the Guardians are 39-36 and 33-44 on the road.

Lucas Giolito has had a challenging season thus far with the Guardians, posting an 8-13 record in 30 appearances. His ERA stands at 4.59, while his K/9 is 9.97 and his FIP is 5.02. Additionally, Giolito has an OBP of .298.

Lucas Giolito earned a quality start and the win in his last outing against the Rangers, as the Guardians emerged victorious with a 12-3 scoreline. Giolito was dominant on the mound, surrendering no runs and two hits over seven innings of work.

Having gone deep 6 times in their last five games, the Guardians are 5th in that span. At 4.1 runs per game, Cleveland is 26th in the league. This figure has come on a team batting average of .250 while hitting a total of 117 home runs (25th).

The Guardians’ Steven Kwan leads the team in hits, boasting a .275 batting average. His slugging percentage stands at .380 and on-base percentage at .348 entering the game.

WILL THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

Kansas City’s overall record currently stands at 50-102, placing them 5th in the AL Central. The Royals will look to extend their current series winning streak to 49 and have an overall series record of 9-35-4. At home, Kansas City is 30-47 and 20-55 on the road.

Today marks Zack Greinke’s 28th outing of the 2023 campaign, and his record currently stands at 1-15. His ERA is 5.39, with an OBP allowed of .312, and he has struck out 85 batters while posting a WHIP of 1.31. Greinke’s ERA on the road is 7.60 compared to 3.61 when pitching at home.

Zack Greinke’s last outing was a bit of a challenge, with no runs allowed on three hits in two innings. However, the Royals were able to secure a 4-2 win over the Astros, and Greinke escaped without taking a loss.

For the season, the Royals are 13th in batting average, hitting a combined .244. Over their last five games, they have hit .275 which is 4th in that span. Kansas City’s average of 4.1 runs per game puts them 25th in the league. In terms of home runs, they have gone deep 151 times and have a team slugging percentage of .397.

Over the Royals’ last five contests, Bobby Witt Jr. has been on fire, leading the team in hits with a .357 average. This season, Witt Jr. is batting .277 and has tallied 90 RBIs.