Kansas City Royals vs. Cleveland Guardians September 30 Betting Preview

AL Central rivals will square off starting Friday in a three-game series as the Kansas City Royals (63-93) take on the Cleveland Guardians (88-68). The Guardians will host this one at Progressive Field with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m.

For the Royals, they come in having lost three in a row as they were swept by the Detroit Tigers to start the week. On Thursday, they lost their finale 10-3 after starter Jonathan Heasley gave up five runs (four earned) in just 4.2 innings.

For the second day in a row, Cleveland was able to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1 on Thursday to secure a series win. Enyel De Los Santos picked up the win in relief while both Steven Kwan and Oscar Gonzalez added runs batted in.

The Guardians are the favorites Friday playing at home. They are (-129) to win, while the Royals’ moneyline sits at (+114). The runline features Kansas City +1.5 (-209), and the over/under for total runs is seven.

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Royals Endure Another Rough Season

At 63-93, the Royals not only sit in last place in the AL Central (25 games back), but they also have the second-worst record in the American League with just a .404 winning percentage. Despite the rough season, Kansas City will look to finish strong and win the series against the division champs.

On the mound for Friday’s game will be 26-year-old righty Brady Singer. He has quietly been fantastic this season, going 10-4 in 26 games. He also has a 2.99 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and he has struck out 144 in 147.2 innings.

Singer is currently on a hot streak as he has won three straight games. In that span, he has allowed just one earned run in the past 20 innings.

Offensively, keep an eye on both Salvador Perez and Edward Olivares. Both have hit a home run against the Guardians’ Aaron Civale, and they have combined to go five for eight against the righty.

Cleveland Stays Hot

With their series win over the Rays, the Guardians remain one of the hottest teams in baseball. They have won nine of their last 10 games, and they are also a solid 42-33 at home. They will look to add another win to their home record in Friday’s opener.

Terry Francona will hand the ball to righty Aaron Civale in this one. He is 3-6 in 18 games with a 5.19 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and has 84 strikeouts in 85 innings.

He did pick up a win in his last start against the Texas Rangers. In that start, he went five innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits while striking out seven.

Jose Ramirez is the only one that has done any consistent damage against the Royals’ Brady Singer. In 13 career at-bats versus the righty, he is hitting .462 with a home run and five runs batted in. Josh Naylor has also homered off of him, but that is his lone hit in nine at-bats.

Cleveland Has Tough Matchup With Singer

Looking at the trends, there is a lot to like about Cleveland in this one. Not only have they won nine of their last 10 games, they have gone 9-3 in their last 12 at home. If that wasn’t enough, they are undefeated against the Royals at home in their last five matchups.

For Kansas City, they have lost four of their last five games and have lost eight of their last nine road games.

Still, with Singer on the mound, Kansas City will be a tough matchup for Cleveland. Aaron Civale will have to pitch well to match Singer, but if he can limit the damage, the Guardians have a good shot at staying hot and adding another home win.