Cleveland Guardians vs. Kansas City Royals July 10 Betting Preview

After losing five games in a row, the Cleveland Guardians (41-41) busted back into the win column Saturday in a big way, taking down the Kansas City Royals (31-52) 13-1. On Sunday, the division rivals will battle in the rubber match of this three-game series at Kauffman Stadium, with the first pitch scheduled for 2:10 pm ET.

Offensively, the team erupted for 23 hits and 13 runs. The impact could have been worse as they left 31 runners stranded on base. The top three in the order were especially impressive as they went 9 for 15 with seven runs and six runs batted in.

Nicky Lopez had the Royals’ only run batted in on the game, while Bobby Witt Jr. and Edward Olivares had the team’s only multi-hit performances with two hits apiece.

Guardians vs. Royals July 10 Betting Odds

The Guardians are the favorites in this one despite playing on the road. They are -130 to win while the Royals’ moneyline sits at +110. The runline features Kansas City +1.5 (-150), and the over/under for total runs is 8.5.

Can the Guards stay red hot against the Royals? You can bet on the July 10 MLB matchup for free using betJACK Training Camp!

Pitching Matchup

Cleveland will send 27-year-old righty Zach Plesac to the mound Sunday to try to secure a series win. In 15 games, he is 2-6 with a 3.80 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and has 60 strikeouts in 85.1 innings.

Plesac has gone 0-2 in his last two starts despite giving up just three runs in his last 18 combined innings. He will look for some better luck on Sunday.

The Royals will counter with veteran righty Zack Greinke. In 13 games, Greinke is 2-5 with a 4.85 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and has just 34 strikeouts in 68.2 innings.

Guardians Look To Move Back Above .500

At 41-41, the Cleveland Guardians are looking to move back above .500 on Sunday while also improving their 21-24 road record. They are also looking to chip away at their AL Central deficit, which sits at 3.5 games behind the Minnesota Twins.

In two games, rookie Nolan Jones has given the Guardians quite the boost. He has four hits in his first seven at bats and hit his first Major League home run in Saturday’s win.

Steven Kwan also had a big day Saturday going three for six with two doubles, two runs batted in, and two runs scored. He is now hitting .279/.363/.361 with a home run, 23 runs batted in, and 34 runs scored on the season.

Against the Royals’ Zack Greinke, both Austin Hedges and Franmil Reyes have homered, while Amed Rosario is hitting .385 in 13 at bats.

Royals Look For Rare Series Win

Currently, 31-52, 14 games out in the AL Central, the Kansas City Royals have struggled to find much consistency. On Sunday, they will look for the rare series win while also trying to improve on their 15-26 home record.

Keep an eye on Hunter Dozier in this one. Even though he is hitting just .160 in 25 at bats versus Zach Plesac, the slugger does have two home runs and four runs batted in.

The Royals’ best hitter this season has been outfielder Andrew Benintendi. A likely trade candidate, Benintendi is currently hitting .317/.387/.402 with three home runs, 34 runs batted in, and 34 runs scored.

Guardians Trying To Get Back On Track

While losing five in a row brought some frustrations to the surface for the Guardians, they still sit in second place and just 3.5 games back of the Twins. After getting back into the win column Saturday, they will look to build on it as they try to chip away at their divisional deficit.

Luckily, Cleveland has played well against Kansas City lately. They are 6-1 in their last seven games against the Royals, and they are 13-5 in their last 18 at Kauffman Stadium.

If the offense can stay hot and Zach Plesac can minimize the damage by Kansas City, Cleveland should be in good shape to take their second in a row and win the weekend series.