Kansas City Royals vs Cleveland Guardians Prediction, 8/26/2024 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Kansas City Royals vs Cleveland Guardians

Date: Monday, August 26, 2024

Location: Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH

TV: Bally Sports Kansas City

The Kansas City Royals (71-56) are headed to Progressive Field on Monday where they will play the Cleveland Guardians (73-54). The expected starting pitchers are Alec Marsh and Joey Cantillo.

Kansas City is slugging .421 and have been called out on strikes 862 times, while being walked on 332 occasions. They have accumulated 601 RBI's as well as 1,098 base knocks on the campaign, and their average at the plate is at .257. The Royals have tallied 219 doubles as a unit and have hit 139 balls out of the stadium. They have accumulated 618 runs while having a team on-base percentage of .314. As a unit, the Kansas City Royals are putting up 4.9 runs per outing, which is 7th in the league.

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The Royals are sitting with a team earned run average of 3.80 this season (10th in baseball), and the staff has rung up 1,024 hitters. Royals pitchers have allowed 120 home runs in addition to 508 runs (5th in the league). Their pitching staff has walked 378 opposing batters and their FIP is 3.88 as a team so far this year. Kansas City has surrendered 1,031 base knocks (8.3 per 9 innings) as well as 472 earned runs. Their strikeout to walk ratio is 2.71 and their pitching staff holds a WHIP of 1.26.

Royals bullpen pitchers have entered the game with runners on 100 times in addition to having 117 appearances in high leverage situations. The relievers have earned 64 holds over the course of the season (15th in the league). The Royals relievers have earned a save percentage of 63.3% and has stepped onto the mound in 114 save situations. They have compiled 31 saves on the campaign and have blown 18 of their 49 chances to save the game. The relief pitchers have inherited 179 base runners this year with 27.4% of those players ended up scoring. The Royals have sent 391 relievers to the hill on the season.

The Royals have converted 69.7% of balls hit into play into outs in their 10,059 innings on the field, which has them ranked 17th in professional baseball. The Kansas City Royals are sitting with 3,353 putouts at this point in the season, in addition to 1,142 assists and 61 errors. Their fielding percentage sits at .987 which puts them in 6th in MLB, and they have turned 103 double plays.

Marsh (10-16 career win-loss record) holds a FIP of 5.06 while he has gone up against 767 batters in the majors. He has surrendered 172 hits (8.8 hits per nine innings) and has 71 walks. His earned run average is 5.14 (100 earned runs allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.387. Marsh has taken the hill for 175 frames and has tallied 178 strikeouts so far in his pro baseball career.

The Cleveland Guardians have tallied a team on-base percentage of .308 in addition to a batting average of .236 over the course of the season. They have been called out on strikes on 924 instances (27th in MLB) and have a total of 991 base hits. Cleveland has accumulated 144 home runs this year as well as 541 runs batted in. The Guardians have a team SLG% of .393 and they average 4.51 runs per contest (13th in baseball). They have hit 192 two-baggers, while getting a free base 373 times as well as earning 573 runs.

The Cleveland pitching staff have given up 504 runs on the campaign while having a team ERA of 3.78 (473 earned runs relinquished). They have allowed 152 long balls and they concede 4.03 runs per 9 innings (4th in MLB). The Guardians have a WHIP of 1.222 and have a FIP of 4.15 as a team on the campaign. They have earned a K/BB ratio of 8.80 (1,103 strikeouts against 402 bases on balls). They come in at 3rd in the league as a staff in total hits relinquished with 973.

Sitting with 158 save situations, the Guardians have accumulated 99 holds and also 15 blown saves. Cleveland has called on bullpen pitchers to take the mound in 57 save opportunities and they have come away with 42 saves. Their relief pitchers have come in 165 times in high leverage situations and on 134 occasions with runners on base. Cleveland relief pitchers have an inherited score rate of 27.9% out of their 183 inherited base runners. They rank 2nd in the league with a save rate of 73.7%, and they have dispatched 465 bullpen pitchers to the mound so far this year.

The Cleveland Guardians have turned 109 double plays and have accounted for a fielding rate of .986 (14th in baseball). The Guardians have accrued 1,114 assists, 66 errors and have amassed 3,375 putouts so far this year. In 10,125 innings on the field, the Guardians have earned a defensive efficiency of 71.0% (4th in MLB).

During his pro baseball career, Cantillo has given up 21 hits while totaling 14 strikeouts in 17 innings pitched. He has allowed 16 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.765 and having a FIP of 8.3. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 1.56 and he has faced 78 opposing hitters in his pro baseball career. Cantillo (0-3 career mark) is the owner of a 8.47 earned run average and has conceded 11.1 hits per 9 innings.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Kansas City

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