Guardians vs. Royals Prediction, Computer Picks, Odds & Pitching Matchup 7/9/2022

The Cleveland Guardians (40-41) will take on the Kansas City Royals (31-51) on Saturday at 4:10 PM ET. Andrew Benintendi will be looking for his 98th hit of the season for the underdog Royals (+109) when the game gets underway at Kauffman Stadium. Triston McKenzie will get the ball for Cleveland while Kansas City counter with Jonathan Heasley.

Guardians vs. Royals Spread and Betting Line

Computer Predictions for Guardians vs. Royals

We have the Royals on the moneyline at +109 on the moneyline as our best bet in this game after digging through all of the key stats and trends for this matchup. Our computer picks see the scoring going over the total of 9 runs.

Our computer pick: Kansas City Royals (+109) and Over (9)

Guardians vs. Royals Game Info

• Cleveland Guardians probable starting pitcher: Triston McKenzie
• Kansas City Royals probable starting pitcher: Jonathan Heasley
• Game Day: Saturday, July 9, 2022
• Game Time: 4:10 PM ET
• Location: Kansas City, Missouri
• Stadium: Kauffman Stadium

Cleveland Guardians vs Kansas City Royals Pitching Matchup

Guardians Starter Triston McKenzie

• McKenzie (5-6) takes the mound for the Guardians in his 15th start of the season. He’s put together a 3.71 ERA in 87 1/3 innings pitched, with 80 strikeouts.
• His most recent time out came on Sunday against the New York Yankees, when the right-hander went 7 2/3 scoreless innings while giving up just one hit.
• In 15 games this season, the 24-year-old has an ERA of 3.71, with 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings. Opponents are batting .203 against him.
• McKenzie has collected eight quality starts this year.
• McKenzie will aim to pitch five or more innings for his third straight appearance. He’s averaging 5.2 frames per outing.
• The opposing Royals offense has a collective .241 batting average, and is 16th in the league with 666 total hits and 27th in MLB action with 322 runs scored. It has the 21st-ranked slugging percentage (.378) and ranks 24th in home runs (71) in all of MLB.
• In three innings over one appearance against the Royals this season, McKenzie has a 6 ERA and a 1.333 WHIP while his opponents are hitting .222.
• Among pitchers who qualify in MLB play this season, the 24-year-old ranks 37th in ERA (3.71), eighth in WHIP (.985), and 34th in K/9 (8.2).

Royals Starter Jonathan Heasley

• Jon Heasley (1-4) will take to the mound for the Royals and make his 11th start of the season.
• The right-hander gave up one earned run and allowed three hits in 6 2/3 innings pitched against the Houston Astros on Monday.
• The 25-year-old has pitched in 10 games this season with an ERA of 4.76 and 6.7 strikeouts per nine innings, with an opponent batting average of .246.
• In 10 starts this season, he’s earned a quality start in four of them.
• Heasley has made seven starts of five or more innings in 10 chances this season, and averages 5.0 frames when he pitches.
• The Guardians rank 13th in MLB with a .243 batting average this season. They have a team slugging percentage that ranks 23rd in the league (.377) and 63 home runs.
• This season, the right-hander has pitched against the Guardians in one game, and they have gone 6-for-24 with a triple, a home run and three RBI over six innings.

Guardians Betting Picks & Insights

• This season, the Guardians have won 24 out of the 40 games, or 60%, in which they’ve been favored.
• This season, Cleveland has won 17 of its 30 games, or 56.7%, when favored by at least -127 on the moneyline.
• The Guardians have a 55.9% chance to win this game based on the implied probability of the moneyline.
• Cleveland’s games have gone over the total in 40 of their 87 chances.
• The Guardians have an ATS record of 43-44-0 in 87 games with a spread this season.

Royals Betting Picks & Insights

• The Royals have been chosen as underdogs in 71 games this year and have walked away with the win 27 times (38%) in those games.
• This season, Kansas City has been victorious 18 times in 58 chances when named as an underdog of at least +109 or longer on the moneyline.
• The moneyline set for this matchup implies the Royals have a 47.8% chance of walking away with the win.
• Kansas City’s games have gone over the total in 40 of their 85 opportunities.
• The Royals have an against the spread mark of 37-48-0 in 85 games with a line this season.

Guardians Leaders & Batting Stats

• The Guardians best power option comes in the form of Jose Ramirez and his 16-dinger 63-RBI season, both team highs.
• Among all hitters in MLB, Ramirez’s home run total places him 27th, and his RBI tally puts him fifth.
• Amed Rosario is hitting .274 with 12 doubles, five triples, three home runs and 17 walks.
• Rosario is 257th in home runs and 177th in RBI among all hitters in the majors.
• Josh Naylor is batting .279 with 13 doubles, 11 home runs and 16 walks.
• Naylor will look to build on his four-game hitting in this matchup. In his last five games he is batting .375 with two home runs, a walk and two RBI.
• Steven Kwan is hitting .273 with nine doubles, three triples, a home run and 30 walks.
• Kwan has recorded at least one hit in two games in a row. During his last five outings he is batting .200 with a double, a walk and an RBI.

Royals Leaders & Batting Stats

• Whit Merrifield is batting .236 with 18 doubles, a triple, five home runs and 27 walks, while getting on base at a rate of .287.
• Among all hitters in MLB, Merrifield ranks 193rd in home runs and 81st in RBI.
• Benintendi has a club-leading .318 batting average.
• Among all MLB hitters, Benintendi ranks 257th in homers and 99th in RBI.
• Bobby Witt Jr. paces the Royals in home runs (12) and runs batted in (42).
• Hunter Dozier is batting .267 with 17 doubles, two triples, nine home runs and 22 walks.