Kansas City Royals vs. Cleveland Guardians October 5 Betting Preview
While the Cleveland Guardians (91-70) anxiously await their postseason matchup with the Rays on Friday, they will first look to finish the regular season off on a strong note as they take on the Kansas City Royals (65-96) one last time Wednesday. This game will be played at Progressive Field with first pitch scheduled for 4:10 p.m.
On Tuesday, the Guardians prevailed 5-3 in the fifth of six straight games the two have played against one another. Cal Quantrill was fantastic, allowing just one run over five innings. Owen Miller hit his sixth home run of the season in the victory.
For Kansas City, Daniel Lynch struggled as he gave up five earned runs in just 4.2 innings. Vinnie Pasquantino and Nate Eaton had two hits apiece, but it wasn’t enough to overtake the division winners.
The Guardians are the favorites playing at home Wednesday. They are (-173) to win, while the Royals’ moneyline sits at (+150). The over/under for total runs is 7.5.
Royals Look To End Rough Season On High Note
At 65-96, it has undoubtedly been a rough year for Royals’ fans. They have the worst record in the AL Central, and they have the second-worst record in the American League. Despite the struggles, they will look to end their year on a high note with a win in the regular season finale.
Taking the mound for the Royals will be 25-year-old righty, Jonathan Heasley. In 20 games, he is 4-9 with a 5.00 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, and he has struck out 66 in 99 innings.
He took a loss in his last start against the Detroit Tigers. In that outing, he gave up four runs on six hits over just 4.2 innings of work.
Offensively, there are a few players that have hit the Guardians’ Aaron Civale well in their careers. Salvador Perez is three for eight against the righty with a home run. Hunter Dozier has also hit well, hitting .308 in 13 at-bats.
Other players with success include Michael Massey, Edward Olivares, and Drew Waters, all of whom have homered against Civale.
Guardians Amping Up For Playoffs
Starting Friday, the Guardians will host the best of three series against the Tampa Bay Rays to see who gets a date with the Yankees in the divisional series. Before that, though, they will try to win one last regular season game in front of their home fans at Progressive Field.
Aaron Civale will take the ball for Terry Francona’s squad. In 19 games, he is 4-6 with a 5.04 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and he has 89 strikeouts in 91 innings.
Civale has pitched better as of late picking up back-to-back wins over the Royals and Rangers. In those two outings, he has given up a combined four earned runs over 11 innings.
Against the Royals’ Jonathan Heasley, Jose Ramirez has been locked in against the righty, albeit in just five at bats. In that span, he has four hits, two home runs, and six runs batted in.
The real question for Francona will be who does he play and who does he give rest to ahead of their playoff series on Friday. It wouldn’t be shocking to see Ramirez and some of the other starters get the day off Wednesday.
Keep An Eye On Starters
Even though Aaron Civale's season stat line doesn’t look great, he has been far better as of late. The Guardians will hope that he can continue that trend with a strong start Wednesday.
The big key to this game is seeing which starters are in. If Francona decides to rest many of the main weapons, that could drastically change decisions on bets.
Still, the Royals don’t have much to play for in this one, so banking on another solid performance from Civale, regardless of who is behind him on the field, might be a gamble worth taking.
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