Cleveland Indians at Kansas City Royals MLB Picks 7/4/2019

Thursday, July 4, 2019

Kauffman Stadium

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Zach Plesac vs. Homer Bailey

Whit Merrifield and the Kansas City Royals (29-57, 5th in AL Central) host the Cleveland Indians (46-38, 2nd in AL Central) at Kauffman Stadium on Thursday, July 4, 2019. The Indians open this contest at -141 while the Royals are priced at +131. The total is set at 10.

The Indians have been inconsistent for Las Vegas oddsmakers, having gone 46-38-0 SU. The Royals are covering 33.7% of the time, going 29-57-0 straight up. The Indians have been inconsistent for Las Vegas oddsmakers as a favorite, going 35-31-0 SU. Kansas City is covering 32.0% of the time as the underdog, having gone 24-51-0 straight up.

Valuable Cleveland Indians Betting Trends

The Indians have been a terrible Over play for O/U MLB bettors, having gone 36-45-3.

The Indians are covering 51.2% of the time as a visitor, having gone 21-20-0 straight up.

Important Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

Kansas City is covering 36.6% of the time at Kauffman Stadium, going 15-26-0 SU.

The Royals have been a good Over play for O/U MLB bettors, having gone 43-38-5.

Key Cleveland Indians Injuries

7/2/2019 Dan Otero RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Jul 15
6/29/2019 Danny Salazar SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Jul 30
6/27/2019 Jefry Rodriguez SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Jul 22
6/27/2019 Bradley Zimmer CF Side Expected to be out until at least Jul 19
6/25/2019 Corey Kluber SP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Jul 30
6/5/2019 Carlos Carrasco SP Illness Expected to be out until at least Jul 12

Key Kansas City Royals Injuries

6/10/2019 Jesse Hahn SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Jul 25
3/28/2019 Trevor Oaks SP Hip Expected to be out until at least Aug 1
3/11/2019 Salvador Perez C Elbow Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Indians have a 46-38 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Zach Plesac has a 3-3 record with an earned run average of 3.61 and a WHIP of 1.11 this season. He has 32 strikeouts over his 42.1 innings pitched and he's given up 33 hits. He's allowed 7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.6. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.61 and they have given up 251 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .245 against the bullpen and they've struck out 270 hitters and walked 84 batters. As a team, Cleveland allows 8.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.6 batters per nine innings. They are 6th in the league in team earned run average at 4.04. The Indians pitchers collectively have given up 679 base hits and 332 earned runs. They have allowed 113 home runs this season, ranking them 17th in the league. Cleveland as a pitching staff has walked 236 batters and struck out 788. They have walked 2.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.24 and their FIP as a unit is 4.18.

Related: Get MLB picks & tips on all of today's games

Hitting Statistics

As a team Cleveland is hitting .239, good for 25th in the league. The Indians hold a .405 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .317, which is good for 21st in baseball. They rank 26th in MLB with 7.9 hits per game. Carlos Santana is hitting .295 with an on-base percentage of .413. He has 88 hits this season in 298 at bats with 51 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .534 and an OPS+ of 147. Francisco Lindor is hitting .291 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .350. He has totaled 77 hits and he has driven in 27 men in 265 at bats. His OPS+ is 119 while his slugging percentage is at .494. The Indians have 664 hits, including 130 doubles and 104 home runs. Cleveland has walked 300 times so far this season and they have struck out 704 times as a unit. They have left 565 men on base and have a team OPS of .722. They score 4.36 runs per contest and have scored a total of 366 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Kansas City has a 29-57 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.87, Homer Bailey has a 7-6 record and a 1.40 WHIP. He has 78 strikeouts over the 85 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 83 hits. He's allowing 8.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.4. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.75 and they have given up 302 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .264 against the Royals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 283 batters and walked 129 opposing hitters. As a team, Kansas City allows 9.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.9 batters per nine innings. They are 27th in the league in team earned run average at 5.11. The Royals pitchers as a team have surrendered 784 base knocks and 427 earned runs this season. They have given up 113 home runs this year, which ranks 18th in Major League Baseball. Kansas City as a staff has walked 309 hitters and struck out 660 batters. They give up a walk 3.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.45 while their FIP as a staff is 4.84.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .247, good for 17th in the league. The Royals hold a .405 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .309, which is good for 23rd in baseball. They rank 20th in MLB with 8.4 hits per contest. Whit Merrifield comes into this matchup batting .307 with an OBP of .355. He has 111 hits this year along with 43 RBI in 361 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .501 with an OPS+ of 126. Alex Gordon is hitting .266 this season and he has an OBP of .343. He has collected 80 hits in 301 at bats while driving in 53 runs. He has an OPS+ of 108 and a slugging percentage of .442. The Royals as a unit have 719 base hits, including 151 doubles and 86 homers. Kansas City has walked 242 times this year and they have struck out on 749 occasions. They have had 560 men left on base and have an OPS of .715. They have scored 4.29 runs per game and totaled 369 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Indians/Royals MLB game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Indians -141

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