The Cleveland Guardians (39-40) is on the road to face the Kansas City Royals (22-58) at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium on Thursday with the visitors eyeing a sweep of the three-game series.
The Guardians lead the series 2-0 after winning 14-1 on Wednesday, their fourth straight head-to-head victory. Nick Sandlin got the win with 1.1 scoreless innings of relief.
Jose Ramirez was 2 for 3 with a home run and a double in the win. He scored three runs and had five RBIs. Bo Naylor went 3 for 4 with a home run, three runs, and two RBIs. Drew Waters went 2 for 3 with a double and one run for the Royals. Freddy Fermin added one RBI on one hit.
ON THE MOUND
Shane Bieber (5-5, 3.69 ERA) is in line to start for Cleveland. The right-hander allowed four runs over five innings in his last start, a 7-1 road defeat against the Brewers on Friday.
He was charged with the loss, giving up five hits while striking out eight and walking two. Bieber is making his first appearance against the Royals this season. Over three starts against the Royals in 2022, Bieber was 2-0 with a 1.02 ERA over 17.2 innings.
He had 14 strikeouts and two walks. Right-hander Zack Greinke (1-8, 5.31 ERA) will take the mound for Kansas City. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Guardians.
Greinke made four appearances against the Guardians in 2022, all starts, striking out nine and walking four over 22.2 innings (1-0, 1.19). In his last start on Friday, Greinke took the loss on the road against the Rays. He threw 4.2 innings and gave up seven runs on nine hits, striking out three and walking one in the 11-3 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Cleveland has averaged 5.0 runs a game, a small gain compared to their season average of 4.0. Against righties like Greinke this season, the Guardians have a .691 OPS. Ramirez is the team’s most productive hitter against right-handers with a .984 OPS in 202 at-bats.
Kansas City is averaging only 3.0 runs per game in the last five, down slightly from 3.7 for the season. The Royals have a .664 OPS against right-handers in 2023, the third lowest in MLB. With a .856 OPS over 200 at-bats, Salvador Perez has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Cleveland is on a three-game winning streak away from Progressive Field, bringing their record to 19-21 in 2023. The Guardians have scored 4.5 runs per game away from home while allowing 4.3 runs. Kansas City has lost three in a row at their home park.
The Royals are 10-30 at home this season, averaging 4.0 runs per game while surrendering 5.8. Cleveland is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium with an average scoreline of 7.1-3.0.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Guardians lead the AL Central by zero games over the Twins. The Royals are fifth in the AL Central, 17 games behind the Guardians.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Cleveland Guardians (-160)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
