Kauffman Stadium will showcase an afternoon clash in the American League Central on Monday. The Kansas City Royals welcome the Cleveland Guardians to town for an intriguing matchup between rivals. The Royals are 2-1 this season, beating the Guardians twice to open the series. Cleveland (1-2) retaliated with a 17-3 drubbing on Sunday, setting up a chance to split the series in Monday's finale.
Caesars Sportsbook lists Kansas City as the slight -115 favorite (risk $115 to win $100) in the latest Guardians vs. Royals odds, while Cleveland is the -105 underdog for this 2:10 p.m. ET first pitch. The total number of runs Vegas thinks will be scored, or the over-under, is 8.5. Before making any Royals vs. Guardians picks, you need to check out the latest MLB predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, enters Week 2 of the 2022 season on a 216-181 roll on top-rated MLB money-line picks that dates back to last season, returning over $900 for $100 players. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has locked in on Guardians vs. Royals, and just locked in its picks and MLB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the MLB odds and trends for Royals vs. Guardians:
- Guardians vs. Royals money line: Cleveland -105, Kansas City -115
- Guardians vs. Royals over-under: 8.5 runs
- Guardians vs. Royals run line: Kansas City -1.5 (+170), Cleveland +1.5 (-200)
- CLE: The Guardians 41-43 in the last 84 road games
- KC: The Royals are 41-43 in the last 84 home games
Why you should back the Guardians
Cleveland right-hander Aaron Civale will look to get his season of to a fast start. The 26-year-old boasts a 3.76 career ERA across 43 starts, a mark that ranks significantly better than the league average over that span. Civale allowed only 1.12 walks and hits per inning in 2021, and he has excellent command, walking only 2.21 batters per nine innings for his career. Kansas City is off to a very slow start on offense, scoring only seven runs in three games.
The Royals have an ugly .191/.240/.245 slash line with no home runs and only a five percent walk rate this season. Kansas City also finished No. 13 in slugging percentage and last in the American League in home runs last season. On offense, Cleveland currently leads the AL in batting average, singles, and on-base percentage, with star-level performances from Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan to this point in the calendar.
Why you should back the Royals
Kansas City has interesting offensive traits to support success in this matchup. The Royals led the American League in stolen bases (124) last season, and Kansas City finished with the third-fewest strikeouts in the AL. The Royals also have enjoyed success against Civale, with Civale allowing seven earned runs in only 11 innings against Kansas City. The Royals are keyed by Salvador Perez, with the seven-time All-Star hitting 48 home runs a year ago.
On the mound, Carlos Hernandez projects to succeed for Kansas City. The 25-year-old right-hander posted a 3.68 ERA last season, allowing 0.74 home runs per nine innings. Hernandez has 3.2 scoreless innings against Cleveland in his career, and the Guardians finished the bottom tier of the AL in on-base percentage and walks last season.
How to make Royals vs. Guardians picks
SportsLine's model is leaning over on the run total, as the simulation suggests the teams will combine for nine runs. It also says one side of the money line has all the value. You can only get the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Guardians vs. Royals? And which side of the money line has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side to jump on, all from the advanced model that has crushed its top-rated MLB picks, and find out.
