Kansas City Royals vs. Cleveland Guardians October 3 Betting Preview

The Kansas City Royals (64-95) and Cleveland Guardians (90-69) will play the fourth of a six-game series as the regular season comes to a close. The Guardians will host this one at Progressive Field with first pitch scheduled for 6:10 pm ET.

On Sunday, the Guardians won 7-5 to take two of the first three games of the series. Shane Bieber picked up his 13th win of the season after allowing two runs (one earned) in five innings. Josh Naylor hit his 20th home run of the season in the victory.

Royals' Max Castillo had a rough day as he gave up seven runs on eight hits in five innings of work. MJ Melendez and Vinnie Pasquantino had three hits apiece, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the pitching.

The Guardians are the favorites Monday night. They are (-193) to win, while the Royals’ moneyline sits at (+170). The runline features Kansas City +1.5 (-143), and the over/under for total runs is seven.

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Royals Try To Even Up The Series

After dropping Sunday’s matchup, the Royals will try to bounce back and even the series up at two games apiece. Unfortunately for Royals’ fans, they have gone just 25-53 on the road this season.

On the mound for the Royals Monday will be veteran Zack Greinke. In 25 games, he is 4-9 with a 3.78 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and he has 72 strikeouts in 131 innings.

In his last start, he took a no-decision against the Tigers after going seven scoreless innings and allowing just four hits.

Against the Guardians’ Triston McKenzie, keep an eye on Hunter Dozier. In 14 career at bats, he is hitting .286 with a home run and four runs batted in. Salvador Perez and Drew Waters have also homered off of the righty.

Guardians Look To Stay Hot As Postseason Looms

Now 90-69 on the season, the Guardians have been hot as they have won eight of their last 10 games. With the postseason rapidly approaching, the Guardians look to finish their regular season strong over the remaining three games.

On the bump for the Guardians on Monday will be righty Triston McKenzie. In 30 games, he is 11-11 with a 2.99 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and he has 186 strikeouts in 186.1 innings.

Over his last three starts, McKenzie has pitched relatively well. In a combined 21 innings, he has allowed six earned runs on 16 hits. He has also struck out 27 over that span.

While Jose Ramirez has been the heart of the Guardians’ offense, several other players have played crucial roles this season. Josh Naylor (20 HR, 76 RBI), Andres Gimenez (.302 avg, 17 HR, 19 SB), Oscar Gonzalez (.295 avg, 11 HR), and Amed Rosario (.280 avg, 11 HR, 71 RBI, 17 SB) have all been fantastic this season.

Guardians In Driver Seat Against Royals

Looking at the trends, the Guardians come in good shape. Not only have they won 11 of their last 13 games, but they have won seven of their last eight when playing at Progressive Field against the Royals.

Furthermore, Kansas City has lost five of their last six overall and six of their last seven on the road.

While Zack Greinke is certainly savvy and can make life difficult on opposing hitters, the Guardians have to like their chances with McKenzie on the mound. If he can take care of business, the Guardians should have a good chance of picking up win number 91.