The Cleveland Indians and the Kansas City Royals may be lagging behind the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central but they are still in the thick of the Wildcard race and their three-game set, which starts tonight will go a long way in shaping their playoff chances.
Read more about this important AL Central matchup below. You can also check out our MLB Free Picks here for the five best baseball games to bet on today. For divisional breakdowns, you can check out our previews of the pennant races in the AL Central and NL West.
[sc:MLBArticles ]Cleveland Indians vs. Kansas City Royals Betting Preview
Where: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
When: Thursday, July 24, 8:10 PM ET
Line: Cleveland Indians (-114) at Kansas City Royals (+104); total: 7.5 – view all MLB lines
Betting on the Cleveland Indians
The Indians are on the last stop of their gruelling 11-game road trip that has seen them compile a 4-3 record to start their second half of the season. After winning their first three games against Detroit to cut the Tigers’ lead at the top to 4 ½ games, the Indians have stumbled back, losing three of their last four games to once again fall six and a half games below Detroit for the AL Central lead.
[sc:MLB240banner ]To arrest the skid, Cleveland will send Corey Kluber (10-6, 2.95 ERA) to the mound to face the Royals in the opening game of their four-game set. The right-hander has been dominant for the Indians this season, allowing just two earned runs or less in seven of his last eight starts.
He has won his last three games, including an 8 2/3 inning gem against the Tigers in his last outing where he allowed just two runs on seven hits against a potent Detroit offense. His most valuable impact for the Indians though has been his remarkable workload. Kluber has been a workhorse for the Cleveland pitching staff with 140.1 innings pitched so far this season as the only Indians pitcher who has been able to stay in the starting rotation all year.
Cleveland is 6-4 in their last ten road games.
Betting on the Kansas City Royals
After losing four straight games to open their second half campaign, the Royals have rebounded and won back-to-back ballgames against the White Sox.
The Royals’ pitching that was non-existent in their first four games after the All-Star break finally showed up in their last two encounters limiting the White Sox to a single run apiece in both games. Kansas City has the fourth-best team ERA in the American League with a 3.71 mark and has relied on their pitching to stay afloat in the playoff race and are just 2 ½ games back of the Seattle Mariners for the final wildcard spot.
Pitching for the Royals in the opener against Cleveland is Danny Duffy (5-10, 2.66 ERA). In 91.1 innings pitched this season, Duffy has limited opposing batters to a .210 clip and struck out 69 batters as he leads the Royal starting rotation in ERA .
Carrying the load for the Royals on the hitting department, on the other hand, is left-fielder Alex Gordon. Gordon has been on fire after the All-Star break, hitting .476, including a 3-of-3 performance against the White Sox in his last game.
The Royals have struggled recently at home winning just four of their last 10 games but are 4-1 against the Indians in their last five games at Kauffman Stadium.
Writer’s Prediction
The Royals (+104) will start their home campaign with a victory as they stretch their winning streak to three. Create a betting account now and see if you can predict who will win this crucial AL Central showdown.
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