David Dermer-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

Kansas City Royals vs Cleveland Guardians: A matchup between the two best teams in the AL Central

The Cleveland Guardians are hosting the Kansas City Royals to open up the three-game series today at Progressive Field.

The Royals are struggling lately

The Kansas City Royals are second in the AL Central with a 36-25 record. They have won only a game in each of their last two series and have lost 6 opf the last 8. The Royals are coming off a 4-3 win over the San Diego Padres turning things around in the ninth inning. The Royals have a 3.57 ERA, a .238 batting average, a .308 on-base percentage, and 1.26 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Bobby Witt Jr. leads the team with 76 hits, and 52 runs while Salvador Perez is on top with 10 home runs.

The Guiardians have the third-best record in the league

The Cleveland Guardians are on top of the AL Central with a 39-20 record, which puts them third in the entire league. The Guardians has split the last six games after winning nine straight. They are coming off a 5-2 loss to the Washington Nationals. The Guardians have a 3.47 ERA, a .228 batting average, a .299 on-base percentage, and 1.19 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Jose Ramirez is the best player on the team with 63 hits, 44 runs and 16 homeruns and he leads the league with 57 RBIs.

Betting Trends

Cleveland has won 12 of the last 15 games overall, 9 of the last 10 games at home and 14 of the last 18 home games against Kansas City. The Guardians have played over the total run line in their last five games on Tuesday while have played under in 4 of the last 5 games against teams from the AL Central. Kansas City is 5-2 SU in the last 7 games against the Guardians, 2-6 SU in the last 8 games overall and 1-4 SU in the last 5 games on the road. The Royals have played over the total run line in 10 of their last 14 games overall, 8 of the last 11 games against teams from the AL and 5 of the last 7 games against teams from the AL Central.

Prediction and Conclusion

Both teams are having a promising season as they sit four games apart on top of the AL Central. The Guardians have the best home record in the league with 20-7 at Progressive Field and have won 14 of the last 18 against the Royals while playing there. Kansas City has been pretty poor on the road this season with a 14-15 record and has lost four of the last five away games. However, the Royals will have Seth Lugo, who is 9-1 for the season with a 1.72 ERA, 66 K, 7.81 IP, and 1.01 WHIP. The Guardians on the other side will be with Triston McKenzie, who was 0-3 last year and is now 2-3 with a 3.77 ERA, 54 K, 57.1 IP, and 1.38 WHIP. There is no doubt that the Guardians are the better team, but the Royals have everything they need to be competitive in this game, so we go with Kansas City to cover the +1.5-run spread.