Guardians vs. Royals Prediction, Betting Tips & Picks 5/30/2022

Coming off of a 1-2 series loss to the Tigers, the Cleveland Guardians (19-24) are -164 favorites to pick up the win in Game 1 of a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals (16-30). The series begins at Progressive Field, starting on Monday at 6:10 PM ET. Cleveland’s Zach Plesac gets the start, and he’ll go against Kansas City’s Jonathan Heasley.

Guardians vs. Royals Spread and Betting Line

Computer Predictions for Guardians vs. Royals

Our computer pick: Kansas City Royals (+142) and Over (8.5)

Guardians vs. Royals Game Info

• Cleveland Guardians probable starting pitcher: Zach Plesac
• Kansas City Royals probable starting pitcher: Jonathan Heasley
• Game Day: Monday, May 30, 2022
• Game Time: 6:10 PM ET
• Location: Cleveland, Ohio
• Stadium: Progressive Field

Cleveland Guardians vs Kansas City Royals Pitching Matchup

Guardians Starter Zach Plesac

• Plesac (1-4) takes the mound for the Guardians in his ninth start of the season. He has a 5.40 ERA in 43 1/3 innings pitched, with 28 strikeouts.
• The right-hander last appeared on Wednesday against the Houston Astros, when he went 4 2/3 innings, allowing seven earned runs while giving up nine hits.
• The 27-year-old has amassed an ERA of 5.40, with 5.8 strikeouts per nine innings, in eight games this season. Opponents are hitting .280 against him.
• Plesac heads into the outing with two quality starts under his belt this season.
• Plesac is trying to record his seventh start of five or more innings this season in this outing.
• He will face a Royals offense that ranks 25th in the league with 176 runs while batting .237 as a unit. It has a collective .364 slugging percentage (24th in MLB action) and has hit a total of 34 home runs (26th in MLB).
• Plesac has pitched 5 2/3 innings without giving up an earned run on three hits, while striking out three against the Royals this season.
• The 27-year-old ranks 56th in ERA (5.40), 56th in WHIP (1.431), and 55th in K/9 (5.8) among qualifying pitchers in MLB action this season.

Royals Starter Jonathan Heasley

• Jon Heasley (0-2) will take the mound for the Royals, his fourth start of the season.
• The right-hander gave up three earned runs in five innings pitched on Wednesday in his last outing, a matchup with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
• The 25-year-old has an ERA of 4.73 and 4.7 strikeouts per nine innings with an opponent batting average of .250 in three games this season.
• Heasley has pitched five or more innings in two straight games and will look to extend that streak.
• The Guardians are batting .243 this season, 11th in MLB. They have a team slugging percentage of .383 (16th in the league) with 37 home runs.

Guardians Betting Picks & Insights

• This season, the Guardians have been favored 16 times and won nine, or 56.2%, of those games.
• Cleveland has played as a favorite of -164 or more twice this season and lost both games.
• The Guardians have a 62.1% chance to win this game based on the implied probability of the moneyline.
• Cleveland and its opponents have hit the over in 24 of their 47 games with a total this season.
• The Guardians have an ATS record of 24-23-0 in 47 games with a spread this season.

Royals Betting Picks & Insights

• The Royals have been underdogs in 43 games this season and have come away with the win 15 times (34.9%) in those contests.
• Kansas City has a mark of 3-12 in contests where bookmakers favor them by +142 or worse on the moneyline.
• The moneyline set for this matchup implies the Royals have a 41.3% chance of coming away with a victory in the contest.
• Kansas City and their opponents have gone over in 25 of their 50 games with a total set by sportsbooks this season.
• The Royals are 21-29-0 against the spread in their 50 games that had a posted line this season.

Guardians Leaders & Batting Stats

• Jose Ramirez is the bat to watch in the Guardians lineup, leading the team in batting average (.292), home runs (12), and RBI (48).
• Including all MLB hitters, Ramirez ranks 25th in batting average, 15th in on-base percentage, and third in slugging.
• Myles Straw is hitting .236 with nine doubles, a triple and 25 walks.
• Of all MLB hitters, Straw is 338th in homers and 305th in RBI.
• Owen Miller is hitting .280 with 12 doubles, four home runs and 12 walks.
• Miller is on a three-game hitting streak entering this contest. In his last five games he is hitting .263 with two RBI.
• Steven Kwan has six doubles, a triple, a home run and 18 walks while batting .242.

Royals Leaders & Batting Stats

• Andrew Benintendi leads the team in batting average with a mark of .327.
• Benintendi is 217th in home runs and 105th in RBI among all hitters in the majors.
• Benintendi has collected a hit in two games in a row. During his last five outings he is hitting .316 with two doubles, three walks and an RBI.
• Bobby Witt Jr. has hit six home runs with 24 RBI, leading the team in both categories.
• Among all MLB hitters, Witt Jr. is 51st in home runs and 45th in RBI.
• Whit Merrifield is hitting .212 with nine doubles, three home runs and 12 walks.
• Hunter Dozier is batting .288 with 10 doubles, two triples, five home runs and 12 walks.

Betting Tips for Guardians vs. Royals

After analyzing all of the key statistics and trends for this matchup, our best bet is the Royals on the moneyline at +142. Our computer prediction sees the scoring going over the total of 8.5 runs.