We are at the stage of the season where every team in the league has some decisions to make. The All-Star Break is just around the corner, which means that the trade deadline is close, too. Every team needs to decide the stance that they are going to take before the trade deadline comes and goes. The teams that are already playing great ball, such as the Dodgers and the Yankees, may decide to roll with what they have, while the teams in the playoff hunt may decide that going all-in might well be the way to go. Those teams will be heavily reliant upon the cellar dwellers and their willingness to part with players in exchange for prospects.

We have two teams in this series who will likely have very different plans. The Kansas City Royals don’t have a lot to trade away, as they are in full rebuilding mode, while the Cleveland Indians may look to add a couple of pieces as they look to make a run in the second half of the season. The Indians came out on top in the opening game of this series and will be looking for more of the same on Wednesday. The Indians are favored by 1 ½, with the run total set at 9.

Indians vs Royals MLB Odds & Pick for Wednesday Night

• When: Wednesday, July 3 at 8:15 PM EST
• Where: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City
• Starting Pitchers: Clevinger vs. Duffy
• TV: MLB Extra Innings
• Radio: 610 Sports
• Live Stream: MLB.tv
• MLB Odds: Cleveland Indians -165 (Total 9)

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Why bet on the Cleveland Indians?

The Cleveland Indians have essentially had the AL Central all to themselves over the past few seasons, with none of the other 4 teams really mounting much of a challenge. That is not the case this year, though, with the Minnesota Twins surging to the top and playing great baseball. The end result is that the Indians find themselves in second, sitting 7 games off the pace.

There is a lot of work to be done to close that gap, but Cleveland looks to be up to the task, playing their best ball of the season and going 7-3 in their last 10 games. They come into this one on the heels of back to back wins, including a 9-5 win in the series opener. That said, they are still just 3-4 SU versus the Royals this season. They will have Mike Clevinger (1-2, 5.89 ERA) on the mound on Wednesday.

Team Stats

• Runs: 4.36
• Hits: 7.89
• Walks: 3.57
• Strike Outs: 8.38

• Runs: 4.31
• Hits: 8.10
• Walks: 2.81
• Strike Outs: 9.38

Why bet on the Kansas City Royals?

It’s easy to forget that the Royals are not that far removed from winning a World Series, but since then, they have had a fire sale that has seen them dump salary and try to rebuild from scratch. It has been a series of diminishing returns for the Royals, with their current 29-57 record suggesting that there is still a lot of work to be done before this team gets anywhere near being a playoff contender once again.

The Royals have lost back to back games and now have just 3 wins in their last 10 outings. Home field has given them no real advantage this season, as they are just 16-26 SU in their own ballpark. They will send Danny Duffy (3-4, 4.43 ERA) to the mound for this one.

Team Stats

• Runs: 4.29
• Hits: 8.35
• Walks: 2.81
• Strike Outs: 8.71

Defense

• Runs: 5.17
• Hits: 9.12
• Walks: 3.59
• Strike Outs: 7.67

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Indians vs Royals MLB Betting Trends

• Indians are 12-5 SU in their last 17 games
• The total has gone Over in 5 of Cleveland’s last 7 games on the road
• Royals are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games
• The total has gone Under in 7 of Kansas City’s last 10 games at home
• Indians are 26-23 against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record this season
• Royals are 21-41 against the money line against right-handed starters this season
• Clevinger is 5-0 when starting against Kansas City with an ERA of 2.28 and a WHIP of 1.066
• Duffy is 2-10 when starting against Cleveland with an ERA of 6.11 and a WHIP of 1.670

Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction

The Indians looked very good in the opening game of this series and I like them to roll that form over into this one, which I see them winning quite comfortably.

Score: Cleveland Indians 6 – Kansas City Royals 3