Which Trevor Bauer shows up Wednesday against the visiting Royals? The one who has dominated at times this season or the one who has also been very hittable in some games? Cleveland owns the MLB Betting Lines as Bauer takes the bump for the series finale between the Guardians and Royals.
Royals vs Indians MLB Spread & Prediction
- When: Wednesday, 1:10 PM ET
- Where: Progressive Field
- Probable pitchers (away/home): Jakob Junis/Trevor Bauer
- TV: MLB Extra Innings
- Opening MLB Lines: Cleveland Indians -220 (Total 9)
Blue Jays vs Yankees MLB Lines & Game Preview
Why Bet on Kansas City?
Kansas City’s only series sweep in 2019 came against the Indians back on April 14.
Kansas City is without probably its best player in young shortstop Adalberto Mondesi. He’s out until at least through the weekend with a right groin strain suffered when he got tangled up with Mariners catcher Omar Narvaez. The dynamic 23-year-old has six home runs, 44 RBI, a league-leading 27 stolen bases, and 40 runs scored in 71 games. Kansas City leads the majors in steals and is on pace for 162, which would be the club’s best total since 195 in 1996.
How important is it for players to get ahead in the count when at bat? Take Kansas City’s Alex Gordon. In 2019, when Alex Gordon is ahead in the count, he has an OPS of 1.053. When Gordon gets behind in the count, his OPS is .689. Pitchers have really started to figure Gordon out. Pitch him low and away, and he’s mostly not been very good.
The Royals’ Jakob Junis got a no-decision in the Royals’ 8-7 loss to the Twins on Friday. Junis struck out eight, giving up three runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks over six innings. The right-hander was denied his fifth win of the season by a late bullpen meltdown, but Junis still came through with a strong effort, tying his season high in strikeouts. Four of his six quality starts on the season have come in his last six trips to the mound, and he’s posted a respectable 4.32 ERA and 37:12 K:BB over 33.1 innings during that stretch.
The story is almost always the same for Junis. If his slider is working and he’s getting one more pitch over, he’s going to be in pretty good shape, but if he only has the slider (or if the slider is getting hit hard too), he’s in trouble. Junis has struggled against the Indians in the past, posting a 5.87 ERA in seven games (six starts). He gave up five runs in 6.1 innings against them in April.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 2.08
- Hits: 4.01
- Walks: 1.38
- Strike Outs: 4.17
- Runs: 2.43
- Hits: 4.36
- Walks: 1.77
- Strike Outs: 4.10
Why Bet on Cleveland?
Is 2018 All-Star Jose Ramirez about to snap out of his mega-slump? Ramirez doubled twice and walked twice against the Royals on Monday. Ramirez has seven hits in his last four games, boosting his average to .217. That’s the highest average he’s finished a game with at any point this season.
Oscar Mercado owns a .310 average this season, the best mark among American League rookies and T4th-best mark among all MLB rookies. The 24-year-old also holds the best on-base percentage (.365) and 2nd-best OPS (.849) among AL rookies this year. Francisco Lindor carries a career .317 average against the Royals with 20 home runs, while Carlos Santana holds a .300 average with 27 homers, both players’ most home runs against any opponent.
Monitor the status of outfielder Jake Bauers. He was scratched from the Indians’ lineup Monday due to a sprained left ankle. Bauers suffered the injury while shagging fly balls during batting practice and is day-to-day.
Trevor Bauer (5-6) surrendered five runs on 10 hits and a walk while striking out five over four-plus innings in a no-decision Friday against the Tigers. Bauer was dominant against the Tigers in his last start, blanking them through nine innings, but he was unable to find the same success Friday. He allowed one run in the second inning, one in the third, one in the fourth and two in the fifth prior to being removed. Despite this, Bauer managed to wiggle off the hook for the loss. The 28-year-old owns a 3.69 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with a 122:46 K:BB over 112.1 innings this year.
Lefties have been his downfall this year. He’s allowed a .249/.356/.474 line to them with just a 21.4 percent strikeout rate compared to .180/.262/.335 and a 29.1 percent strikeout rate to righties. This doesn’t bode well for the Royals given that so much of their offensive talent is right-handed.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 2.15
- Hits: 3.80
- Walks: 1.77
- Strike Outs: 4.10
- Runs: 2.01
- Hits: 3.84
- Walks: 1.37
- Strike Outs: 4.54
White Sox vs Red Sox MLB Odds, Preview & Expert Pick
Royals vs Indians MLB Betting Trends
- Royals are 2-5 in Junis’ last 7 starts vs. a team with a winning record
- Indians are 0-5 in Bauer’s last 5 home starts vs. Royals
- Royals are 5-14 SU in their last 19 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Kansas City’s last 6 games against an opponent in the American League
- Indians are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games at home
- The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Cleveland’s last 10 games played on a Wednesday
Expert Final Score Prediction for Royals vs Indians
Kansas City Royals 3 – Cleveland Indians 7
