Leading up to game three of this AL Central battle, the Guardians (50-51, 27-24 home) will send Gavin Williams to the mound to take on the Royals (29-74, 14-38 away) and Alec Marsh. Find out who I like to come out on top in this Kansas City Royals vs. Cleveland Guardians matchup in Cleveland.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS VS CLEVELAND GUARDIANS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Kansas City Royals +1.5 Runs

This game will be played at Progressive Field at 1:10 ET on Wednesday, July 26th.

WHY BET THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS:

  • Over their last three games as the favorite, the Guardians are just 1-2 against the runline.
  • In their last ten games as the underdog, the Royals have put together a runline record of 6-4.
  • Opponents are hitting just .223 against Alec Marsh in his last two starts.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS LOOKING FOR UPSET AS ROAD UNDERDOGS

Kansas City enters today’s matchup with an overall record of 29-74, placing them 5th in the AL Central. The club has played in 31 series so far, and has a record of 4-25-2, including dropping each of their past four sets. The Royals are 15-36 at home and 14-38 and 15-36 at home.

Alec Marsh has been handed the ball for the Royals four times this season, resulting in an 0-4 record. His ERA is 6.20, while his strikeouts per nine innings (K/9) is 10.62. Additionally, his fielding independent pitching (FIP) is 7.95 and opponents’ on-base percentage (OBP) against him is .333.

Alec Marsh recently struggled in a 5-4 loss to the Yankees, surrendering five earned runs and five hits over 5 1/3 innings of work. Despite the defeat, Marsh’s performance was not as bad as it may have seemed; the Royals ultimately fell short by just one run.

In their five most recent games, the Royals have put together a batting average of only .181, placing them 26th compared to the rest of the league. At 3.7 runs per game, Kansas City is 27th in the MLB. This figure has come on a team batting average of .232 and OPS of .667 which has them 29th in baseball.

Maikel Garcia has been a key contributor to the Royals’ offense over their last five games, leading the team in hits and batting .260. For the 2023 season, Garcia is hitting .275 and has driven in 29 runs.

WILL THE CLEVELAND GUARDIANS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

The Guardians’ overall record of 50-51 puts them 2nd in the AL Central. Their straight-up record at home stands at 27-24 compared to a runline mark of 24-27 when playing at Progressive Field. It is worth noting that the Guardians have a series record of just 7-8 at home. Cleveland’s over/under record comes in at 44-55.

Gavin Williams will take the mound for Cleveland with a 1-2 record this season. He has made six appearances, resulting in an ERA of 3.74 and a K/9 of 6.95. His FIP is 4.71 and opponents have managed to get on base against him at a .315 clip.

Gavin Williams was unable to secure a win in his last outing against the Phillies, despite giving up only one run and five hits across four innings. Despite this, the Guardians were able to come out on top with a 6-5 victory.

Over their last five games, the Guardians are ranked 12th in the league in scoring at 4 runs per game. Their season-long scoring average of 4.2 per contest puts them 23rd in baseball. In terms of on-base percentage, Cleveland is 16th, with an OBP currently sitting at .314. The team’s collective batting average is .253 (10th).

Over the past five games, Steven Kwan has been at the top of the Guardians’ offense, batting .290 and leading the team in hits. On the season, Kwan is hitting .271 with 34 RBIs.