There is going to be some great baseball action tonight as the Kansas City Royals and the Cleveland Indians meet in an important AL Central tussle, while the Los Angeles Angels host the AL Central-leading Detroit Tigers.
Apart from these two baseball games, there are other mouth-watering encounters in the majors. To help you with these matches, you can check out our MLB Free Picks for the five best baseball games to bet on for today. Meanwhile, you can read on and check our breakdown of these two important matchups.
[sc:MultiSportArticles ]Cleveland Indians vs. Kansas City Royals (8:10 PM ET)
Line: Cleveland Indians (-114) at Kansas City Royals (+104); total: 7.5 – view all MLB lines
With half a game separating the two in the AL Central and with both teams right in the thick of the AL Wildcard race, it is widely expected that this opening game of this four-game set will be high on intensity.
[sc:MLB240banner ]Adding to the spectacle of the opener is that both teams will send out their respective aces to the mound. The Indians will send right-hander Corey Kluber (10-6, 2.95 ERA) to face off with Royals’ top man Danny Duffy (5-10, 2.66 ERA) in a rematch of their July 6 encounter.
Kluber was exceptional in that outing against the Royals allowing just one run and striking out 10 in 8 1/3 innings as he led the Indians to a 4-1 win. In fact, the Indians have managed to win four out of the last five games Kluber has started against the Royals.
Duffy, on the other hand, allowed four runs in six innings of action in that defeat against the Indians. Some concern for Duffy entering this game is that his home form has been below par compared to his record on the road. He is 1-4 with an ERA of 3.38 in the eight games he has pitched at Kauffman Stadium.
The Royals, however, have won four of their last five home games with the Indians.
Create a betting account now and pick which among these two teams will emerge victorious in this AL Central battle.
Writer’s Prediction
The Royals will start their seven-game home stand with a win over the Indians and go half a game above them in the AL Central standings.
Detroit Tigers vs. Los Angeles Angels (10:05 PM ET)
Line: Detroit Tigers (+118) at Los Angeles Angels (-128); total: 7.0 – view all MLB lines
It will be a battle of top AL teams as the Los Angeles Angels host the Detroit Tigers at Angel Stadium with top pitchers Garrett Richards and Max Scherzer taking center stage in a battle of 11-game winners.
Richards (11-2, 2.47 ERA) has been exceptional in his last nine starts, pitching seven-plus innings in seven of those games, while allowing just a total of nine runs. In fact, the Angels are 4-1 in his last five home starts.
On the opposing end, Max Scherzer’s numbers are nothing to sneeze at either. Scherzer (11-3, 3.34 ERA) has posted a 3-0 record in his last five games allowing just seven runs in those matches.
The Angels are 6-4 in their last 10 home games while the Tigers have the same record when it comes to their last 10 road games. The Tigers own the head-to-head edge this year with Detroit winning two out of their three meetings so far this season.
You can read a full preview of the game here.
Writer’s Prediction
Garrett Richards will win a tight pitching duel with Max Scherzer as the Angels take the opener against the Tigers.
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