Kansas City Royals vs Cleveland Guardians Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/28/2024

Game Time: 1:10 pm ET, Wednesday, August 28, 2024

Venue:  Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH

Where to Watch:  BSGL

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Royals +110, Guardians -130; Over/Under:  8 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Royals +110, Guardians -130; Over/Under:  8 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Royals +115, Guardians -140; Over/Under:  8 runs

Kansas City Royals:  74-58 (2nd place, AL Central)

Cleveland Guardians:  75-57 (1st place, AL Central)

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Kansas City Royals:  7-3 last 10

Cleveland Guardians:  3-7 last 10

The Royals are entering this series off a loss and lost their 3-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 74-58 record overall and have a road record of 33-30. This is the series finale of a 4-game series with the Guardians on Wednesday with the 3rd game of this series still to be played on Tuesday. The Royals won the series opener and the 2nd game of this series in a double-header on Monday. Their offense ranks 10th in the MLB with a .738 OPS. Michael Lorenzen is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Michael Wacha is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 11-6 with a 3.32 ERA this season. His team won their last 5 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 ER, 0 HR, and 0 BB with 5 Ks on 6 hits through 6 IP against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Guardians are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Texas Rangers 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 75-57 record overall and have a home record of 40-23. This is the 4th game of a 4-game series with the Royals on Wednesday with the 3rd game of this series still to be played on Tuesday. The Guardians lost the 1st game and the 2nd game of this series on Monday in a double-header. Their offense ranks 18th in the MLB with a .702 OPS. Gavin Williams is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Tanner Bibee is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 10-6 with a 3.46 ERA this season. His team lost their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 4 earned runs, 0 homers, and 1 BB with 6 strikeouts on 8 hits through 5.2 innings played against the Texas Rangers.

The current betting odds have the Royals listed as a slight underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Royals have looked good in their games this season with their 74-58 record overall which has them in 3rd place of the AL Central and fighting for a Wild Card spot. They are also fighting to catch the Guardians in 1st place of the division, but they haven't looked as good in their road games this year with their 33-30 road record. Meanwhile, the Guardians have looked great in their games this season with their 75-57 record overall which has them leading the AL Central. They also have one of the best home records in the MLB this season with their 40-23 home record. This is a big series for both teams as it is going to have playoff implications with the Wild Card and possible winner of the AL Central. The Royals are catching the Guardians at the right time though since the Guardians are only 3-7 in their last 10 games while the Royals have been getting hot, going 7-3 in their last 10 games. They have already taken the first 2 games of this series, cutting down the lead that the Guardians have, and they will be looking to beat up on the Guardians now that they are down. Wacha will be on the mound for the Royals here and he has been a solid starter for them all season. He is 11-6 with a 3.32 ERA and hasn't been giving up many runs lately. He gave up 2 earned runs in his last start which has been a common theme for him, and his team has had a ton of success as they have won 5 games in a row with him starting. The Guardians are going with Bibee in this one but he hasn't looked great lately. He is 10-6 with a 3.46 ERA this season and has been giving up more runs lately. He gave up 4 earned runs in his last start and the team has lost 2 games in a row with him starting. The pitching really hasn't been great for the Guardians lately in this slump and the Royals do have the better offense to lean on too. The best way to place a bet here is on the Royals to win this game. 

Royals Guardians Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Wednesday, August 28, 2024 (1:10 pm ET start time) is Royals 6 Guardians 4.

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Kansas City Royals: 17-5 (+13.05 units) on the moneyline in their last 22 road games. 74-55 (+12.24 units) on the runline in their last 129 games. 19-10 to the over in their last 29 games.

Cleveland Guardians: 6-14 (-11.45 units) on the first 5 runline in their last 20 games. 36-27 to the over in their last 63 home games. 5-2 to the over with their team total in their last 7 home games. 

Kansas City Royals:  C. Ragans (SP) Ques Tue - Hamstring. W. Smith (RP) Out indefinitely - Back. H. Renfroe (RF) Out indefinitely - Hamstring. H. Harvey (RP) Out indefinitely - Back. D. Altavilla (RP) Mid Sep - Oblique. K. Wright (SP) out for season - Shoulder. J. Taylor (RP) Late June - Bicep.

Cleveland Guardians:  S. Hentges (RP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. A. Cobb (SP) Out indefinitely - Finger. C. Carrasco (SP) Out indefinitely - Hip. T. Stephan (RP) out for season - Elbow. J. Karinchak (RP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. S. Bieber (SP) out for season - Elbow.

“You couldn't ask for any more. By no means does that mean anything is done. But these guys played extremely hard today after getting beaten up the last couple days (losing back-to-back blowouts to Philadelphia) and put that behind them.” - Matt Quatraro after his team’s win against the Guardians in their double-header on Monday.

“They're pros. They know it was a rough day. Every time we have a tough day, they come back ready to win. This group’s not going to get discouraged. It’s not in their DNA. They all know where we’re at.” - Stephen Vogt after his team’s loss against the Royals in their double-header on Monday.

Maikel Garcia (R) 2B

Bobby Witt Jr. (R) SS

Vinnie Pasquantino (L) 1B

Salvador Perez (R) DH

Freddy Fermin (R) C

Paul DeJong (R) 3B

MJ Melendez (L) LF

Dairon Blanco (R) RF

Garrett Hampson (R) CF

Steven Kwan (L) LF

Andrés Giménez (L) 2B

José Ramírez (S) DH

Josh Naylor (L) 1B

Jhonkensy Noel (R) RF

Will Brennan (L) CF

Daniel Schneemann (L) 3B

Bo Naylor (L) C

Brayan Rocchio (S) SS

Batting Average:  Bobby Witt (.347)

Hits:  Bobby Witt (182)

Home Runs:  Bobby Witt (27)

RBI:  Vinnie Pasquantino (96)

Stolen Bases:  Maikel Garcia (30)

Wins:  Seth Lugo (14)

Saves:  James McArthur (18)

ERA:  Jordan Lyles (0.00)

Batting Average:  Steven Kwan (.302)

Hits:  José Ramírez (140)

Home Runs:  José Ramírez (33)

RBI:  José Ramírez (104)

Stolen Bases:  José Ramírez (32)

Wins:  Ben Lively (11)

Saves:  Emmanuel Clase (38)

ERA:  Shane Bieber (0.00)

Managers:

Kansas City Royals: Matt Quatraro (2nd season)

Cleveland Guardians: Stephen Vogt (1st season)