The Kansas City Royals (75-65) host the Cleveland Guardians (80-59) at 7:40 p.m. ET Wednesday in a meeting between two of the league’s best hitters. Bobby Witt Jr. is batting .340 this year (first in the league) for the favored Royals (-129), while Steven Kwan ranks 10th in the majors with a .294 average for the underdog Guardians.
Kansas City’s Seth Lugo gets the start, and he’ll go against Cleveland’s Ben Lively.
Royals vs. Guardians Odds
Royals vs. Guardians Promo Codes
Game Time and Information
Who Will Win Royals vs. Guardians?
Royals and Guardians Betting Trends
The Royals have compiled a 43-26 record in games they were favored on the moneyline (winning 62.3% of those games).
In games it has played as moneyline favorites with odds of -129 or shorter, Kansas City has a record of 30-15 (66.7%).
The Guardians have entered the game as underdogs 52 times this season and won 24, or 46.2%, of those games.
This season, Cleveland has won 10 of its 27 games, or 37%, when it’s the underdog by at least +110 on the moneyline.
The Royals have combined with opponents to hit the over on the total 64 times this season for a 64-71-5 record against the over/under.
The Guardians and their opponents have hit the over in 65 of their 139 games with a total this season.
Royals Stats & Insights
The Royals have the No. 8 offense in baseball scoring 4.8 runs per game (666 total runs).
Kansas City averages 1.1 home runs per game to rank 15th in MLB action with 156 total home runs.
The Royals have the seventh-best batting average in the league (.253).
Kansas City strikes out 6.9 times per game, the second-fewest average in the majors.
The Royals pitching staff is 24th in the majors with a collective 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings.
Kansas City’s 3.96 team ERA ranks 12th across all MLB pitching staffs.
Guardians Stats & Insights
The Guardians have scored 635 runs (4.6 per game) this season, which ranks 12th in MLB.
Cleveland’s 161 home runs rank 12th in Major League Baseball.
The Guardians have a team batting average of .239 this season, which ranks 21st among MLB teams.
Cleveland ranks third in MLB in strikeouts per game with an average of 7.3 Ks per contest.
The Guardians average 8.7 strikeouts per nine innings as a pitching staff, 10th-most in the majors.
Cleveland pitchers have a combined ERA of 3.81 ERA this year, seventh-best in baseball.
Royals Key Players to Watch
Lugo makes the start for the Royals, his 29th of the season. He is 14-8 with a 3.12 ERA and 155 strikeouts through 179 2/3 innings pitched.
Witt leads Kansas City in batting average (.340), home runs (30) and runs batted in (97) this season.
Salvador Perez is batting .274 with an OBP of .335 and a slugging percentage of .472 this season.
Maikel Garcia has 124 hits this season and a slash line of .237/.284/.342.
MJ Melendez has collected 78 hits this season and has an OBP of .275. He’s slugging .421 on the year.
Guardians Key Players to Watch
The Guardians’ Lively (11-8) will make his 25th start of the season.
Jose Ramirez leads the Guardians with 34 home runs and 105 runs batted in.
Josh Naylor has 23 doubles, 29 home runs and 52 walks while hitting .245.
Kwan paces the Guardians with a .294 batting average.
Andres Gimenez is batting .251 with 19 doubles, a triple, seven home runs and 24 walks.
Royals and Guardians Injuries
Royals: Hunter Renfroe: 10 Day IL (Hamstring), Vinnie Pasquantino: 10 Day IL (Thumb), Hunter Harvey: 15 Day IL (Back), Will Smith: 15 Day IL (Back), Michael Lorenzen: 15 Day IL (Hamstring), Josh Taylor: 60 Day IL (Biceps), Dan Altavilla: 60 Day IL (Oblique), Kyle Wright: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Lucas Erceg: day-to-day (Hand), Yuli Gurriel: day-to-day (Hamstring)
Guardians: Carlos Carrasco: 15 Day IL (Hip), James Karinchak: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Sam Hentges: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Shane Bieber: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Trevor Stephan: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Josh Naylor: day-to-day (Back)
Royals vs. Guardians Prediction
How to Bet on Royals vs. Guardians
Get more MLB picks.
If you are new to sports betting, read our in-depth guide on betting on Baseball and find the best MLB betting sites and promo codes.