Cleveland Guardians vs. Kansas City Royals September 5 Betting Preview

American League Central rivals will square off Monday as the Cleveland Guardians (68-64) take on the Kansas City Royals (55-80). The Royals will host this one at Kauffman Stadium, with first pitch scheduled for 8:10 p.m.

The Guardians had their chances to salvage Sunday’s finale, but the Mariners ended up winning 6-3 in extra innings. Trevor Stephan took the loss after giving up three runs in an inning of work. Sunday’s loss meant a sweep at the hands of the Mariners over the weekend.

Offensively, both Josh Naylor and Tyler Freeman had two hits apiece. Still, after forcing extra innings, the Guardians just couldn’t find a way to pull out the win as they left 28 on base throughout the game.

For Kansas City, they were able to take two of three from the Tigers in their last series. In Sunday’s finale, the Royals won 3-2 behind six pitchers, who combined to allow two runs on just seven hits. Collectively, they struck out 10.

Michael Taylor led the team offensively with three hits, while Bobby Witt Jr and Nicky Lopez added two apiece.

Despite playing on the road, the Guardians are the favorites in Monday’s opener. They are (-137) to win, while the Royals’ moneyline sits at (+118). The runline features Kansas City +1.5 (-154), and the over/under for total runs is 7.5.

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Pitching Matchup

Triston McKenzie will take the ball for the Guardians in the opener. In 25 games, he is 9-11 this season. He has a 3.18 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and he has struck out 149 in 152.2 innings.

Kansas City will counter with righty Brady Singer. He is 7-4 in 22 games, and he has a 3.33 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and has 124 strikeouts in 121.2 innings.

30 Games Will Determine The Division

At 68-64, the Cleveland Guardians have fallen back into a tie with the Minnesota Twins for the AL Central lead. With 30 games left, Cleveland will have to start to play better as they have lost three straight series.

Triston McKenzie will also look to get back on track as he has lost back-to-back starts. In those two games, he has allowed just five earned runs in 11 innings combined, but it has been enough damage to prevent Cleveland from pulling out wins.

Jose Ramirez is not only the best hitter on the Guardians, but he also has great numbers against Brady Singer. In 11 at bats, he is hitting .455 and has a home run and five runs batted in.

Royals Playing Big Role In AL Central

With the Kansas City Royals fourth in the AL Central, their chances at the postseason are practically nonexistent as they sit 14.5 games back in the division. That doesn’t mean they can’t affect the AL Central race, though. With nine games left with the Guardians and six left with the Twins, handling the Royals may make the difference in winning the division.

Kansas City has played better at Kauffman Stadium this year than on the road. While they are 23-43 on the road, they are 32-37 at home.

Keep an eye on Hunter Dozier in Monday’s game. Against Triston McKenzie, he is hitting .286 in 14 at bats, with a home run and four runs batted in. Salvador Perez has also homered against the righty in his career.

Guardians Desperate For A Win

Having lost five in a row and three straight series, the Guardians are reeling and desperately need a win Monday. Triston McKenzie has quietly been one of the Guardians’ best pitchers, but he is going to have to pitch well against a Royals team that is playing respectable ball at this point.

The Royals have nothing to lose at this point, which makes them a scary opponent for the Guardians. Still, if McKenzie can hold his own, the Guardians should have a decent chance of getting back into the win column Monday night.