CLEVELAND @ KANSAS CITY (CLE -115, 8.5)
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GUARDIANS VS. ROYALS 6/27/24
Tonight, the Cleveland Guardians (51-26) will play the first game of their four-game series against the Kansas City Royals (43-38), with the goal of increasing their AL Central Division lead. For the Guardians, Ben Lively (7-3, 3.03 ERA) will get the start. The opposing pitcher for the Royals is Michael Wacha, 4-6, 4.07 ERA. In its last ten games against Cleveland, Kansas City is 6-4.
The Guardians have been playing well lately, and they have won their last two series, taking down Seattle and Baltimore in the process. Cleveland had won seven in a row until last night’s 4-2 loss to Baltimore. With a victory on Thursday, they will attempt to tie the Yankees for the best record in the American League.
Cleveland scores 5.09 runs per game, which is third in the majors. With a batting average of .246 they rank 12th in the league and both their .411 slugging percentage and .321 on base percentage rank eighth. Jose Ramirez has been the big bat for the Guardians. He is batting .279, with 21 home runs, and 72 RBI.
Lively allowed three hits and two runs in 5.2 innings during his previous outing, which led to a win over the Blue Jays. Cleveland has won 6 of his last 7 starts and 8 of his 12 this season.
The Royals have dropped four of their previous six games and are currently struggling. With a win on Thursday, they will look to move into a tie for second place in the AL Central standings after falling to third place, one game behind Minnesota.
Salvador Perez leads the Royals with 12 home runs, while Bobby Witt Jr. leads the team with a .311 batting average and 53 RBI. Wacha gave up three hits and one run in five innings during his most recent outing, but the Royals lost to 6-0 to Texas.
In their last three home games, the Royals won twice. They only scored nine runs in those last three home games, but Kansas City has been hitting well against right-handers lately. Lively has struggled recently, giving up six runs in his last two starts on the mound. He’s also allowed six runs in his last three starts on the road.
Cleveland has proven it can score on the road. They have scored 19 runs in their last three road games. Wacha has given up two or fewer earned runs in each of his last six starts. He’s also 2-0 against Cleveland in his career.
FREE PICK: GUARDIANS-ROYALS OVER 8.5
Cleveland just won seven games in a row and averaged over 6 runs a game in that streak. The Guardians rank third in the majors in scoring and Kauffman Stadium is a hitter-friendly ballpark. The Royals have the second-highest scoring average at home this season and Cleveland pitcher Ben Lively has been
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