Royals vs Guardians Odds and Picks (May 31)
By Chris Amberley in MLB Baseball
Published:
- The Royals vs Guardians odds favor Cleveland as -155 moneyline favorites on Tuesday (May 31, 6:10 pm ET)
- KC will send Daniel Lynch (2-3, 3.92 ERA) to the mound, while Cleveland will counter with Cal Quantrill (1-3, 3.42 ERA)
- Read below for the Royals vs Guardians odds, analysis and betting prediction
AL Central rivals will continue their three-game set on Tuesday, as the Kansas City Royals visit the Cleveland Guardians. Cleveland took the series opener 7-3 on Monday, improving to 3-2 against last-place KC this season.
Oddsmakers are expecting the Guardians to hold serve again at home in Game 2, as Cleveland opened as the home chalk.
Royals vs Guardians Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Royals | +135 | +1.5 (-150) | O 9.5 (-110) |
| Cleveland Guardians | -155 | -1.5 (+130) | U 9.5 (-110) |
Odds as of May 30th at Caesars Sportsbook.
The Guardians are currently -155 moneyline favorites, in a contest that features a total of 9.5. First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 pm ET at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH, with clear skies and 73 degree night time temperatures in the forecast.
Kansas City vs Cleveland Starting Pitchers
The Royals will give the ball to lefty Daniel Lynch. The southpaw is fresh off a strong outing versus Minnesota, where he yielded just two runs over 5.1 innings in a Royals victory. That start followed up a rough performance against the same Twins, and poor outings have been a common trend for him versus the Guardians.
Lynch has surrendered 15 hits and 11 earned runs in three career starts against Cleveland, yielding a .344 average and 1.056 OPS to Guardians hitters over 29 at-bats.
Lynch vs Quantrill
| 2-3 | Record | 1-3 |
| 3.92 | ERA | 3.42 |
| 1.41 | WHIP | 1.23 |
| .250 | OBA | .234 |
| 2.2 | SO/W Ratio | 1.5 |
Cleveland will counter with Cal Quantrill, who’s coming off back-to-back impressive outings. Quantrill pitched 6 innings of two-run ball last time out versus the mighty Astros. The start before it was 7 innings of one-run ball, although both outings ended in Guardians defeats.
Cal Quantrill has gone 6+ innings in 6 straight starts. Dude is an absolute gamer pic.twitter.com/i1bDvfBdZz
— Fuzzy (@fuzzyfromyt) May 26, 2022
His lone win of the season came against KC last month, and he’s undefeated versus them in four career starts. Royals batters are hitting just .200 against him over 80 career at-bats, with only seven extra-base hits.
Royals vs Guardians Betting Analysis
KC struggles at the plate however, are far from new. The Royals rank bottom-six in runs per game, and bottom-eight in slugging and OPS. Their roster is full of talent, it’s simply underperforming especially at the top and in the heart of the order.
Whit Merrifield is batting only .216 so far, while both Salvador Perez and former Cleveland star Carlos Santana boast averages below .200.
The Guardians have seen their fair share of struggles at the plate recently as well, but it appears they might be turning the corner. They scored at least seven runs in two of their past three games, while Jose Ramirez continues to perform like a legit contender in the AL MVP odds.
Jose Ramirez is the first player to reach 50 RBI this season‼️
(via @BallySportsCLE)pic.twitter.com/bTJfdwNuMO
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) May 30, 2022
He smacked his 13th home run of the season on Monday, upping his MLB leading RBI total to 51.
KC vs CLE Last 10 Meetings
| Date | Away Team | Home Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5/30/22 | Royals | Guardians | CLE, 7-3 |
| 4/11/22 | Guardians | Royals | CLE, 10-7 |
| 4/10/22 | Guardians | Royals | CLE, 17-3 |
| 4/9/22 | Guardians | Royals | KC, 1-0 |
| 4/7/22 | Guardians | Royals | KC, 3-1 |
| 9/30/21 | Guardians | Royals | KC, 10-5 |
| 9/29/21 | Guardians | Royals | KC, 6-4 |
| 9/28/21 | Guardians | Royals | CLE, 8-3 |
| 9/21/21 | Royals | Guardians | CLE, 4-1 |
| 9/20/21 | Royals | Guardians | KC, 4-2 |
Royals vs Guardians Pick
Cleveland has now crossed the plate 34 times in its past three meetings with KC this year. The Guardians may be just 20-24 and a longshot in the MLB divisional odds, but there’s reason to be optimistic about their prospects moving forward.
Cleveland has a +14 run differential, making them one of only five sub. 500 teams who are positive in that category. By comparison, KC is 16-31 this season with a -68 run differential.
The bats are coming alive, they have a great track record of pummelling Lynch, and Quantrill is pitching as well as he ever has. Guardians moneyline is an easy bet.
Pick: Cleveland Guardians Moneyline (-155)
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Sports Writer
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
