Kansas City Royals vs Cleveland Guardians Game 2 Picks – 8/26/2024

• Date: August 26, 2024
• Venue: Progressive Field
• Starting Pitchers:
  • Alec Marsh - Royals
  • Logan Allen - Guardians

Royals vs Guardians Game 2 Betting Odds

Kansas City Royals vs Cleveland Guardians Game 2 Win Probabilities

Implied Win % in sports betting represent the probability of an outcome as suggested by the betting odds. It's a way for bettors to gauge the likelihood of an event occurring based on the odds offered by sportsbooks.

Projected Win %, also known as projected win probability, is an estimate by ATS.io to determine the likelihood that a team will win a game or event. This projection is often based on various factors such as team performance, statistics, and historical data.

Kansas City Royals vs Cleveland Guardians Game 2 Betting Preview

On August 26, 2024, the Cleveland Guardians will host the Kansas City Royals in the second game of a double-header at Progressive Field. The Guardians currently hold a strong record of 75-55, while the Royals are slightly behind at 72-58. This matchup is critical as both teams look to solidify their positions in the American League Central.

In their last game on August 25, the Guardians managed a solid 4-2 victory against the Texas Rangers, showcasing their competitive edge. Meanwhile, the Royals faced a tough outing against the Philadelphia Phillies, suffering an 11-3 defeat. This stark contrast in momentum could play a significant role in today's matchup.

Cleveland is projected to send Logan Allen to the mound, who has had an up-and-down season with an 8-4 record and a troubling ERA of 5.56. However, his 4.65 xFIP suggests he may have been the victim of bad luck. In his last start on August 5, he pitched well, allowing only 2 earned runs over 5 innings. Meanwhile, Alec Marsh, starting for Kansas City, has a 7-7 record with a more respectable 4.71 ERA but has struggled with consistency, making this a potentially favorable matchup for the Guardians.

The Guardians' offense ranks 18th in MLB, but they have shown flashes of brilliance, particularly with their best hitter, Jose Ramirez, who has been a driving force this season. In contrast, the Royals' offense ranks 12th, with Bobby Witt Jr. leading the charge. Despite their recent struggles, projections favor the Guardians, suggesting they could score around 4.86 runs today, compared to the Royals' projected 4.56 runs.

Given the Guardians' recent success and the projections indicating they may outperform their current odds, this game presents a compelling opportunity for bettors to consider Cleveland as a viable option.

Quick Takes Kansas City Royals:

Out of every team playing today, the best infield defense belongs to the Kansas City Royals.

• Defense is an integral part of preventing hits and runs.

Vinnie Pasquantino is likely to have an edge against every reliever for the whole game, since the bullpen of the Cleveland Guardians has just 1 same-handed RP.

• Hitters perform worse against pitchers of the same handedness (i.e. righty-vs-righty), and being able to avoid those matchups against the bullpen boosts performance and creates hidden edge.

Salvador Perez pulls a lot of his flyballs (36.5% — 93rd percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards the league's 3rd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup.

• This player's skill set matches up particularly well with the park he's in today, which may lead to better-than-usual performance.

Quick Takes Cleveland Guardians:

Tallying 14.6 outs per start this year on average, Logan Allen places in the 12th percentile.

• A pitcher who averages more outs per start than his Outs prop may be a good bet to go over, and visa-versa for the under.

Jose Ramirez is an extreme flyball hitter and faces the strong outfield defense of Kansas City (#1-best of all teams on the slate).

• This player's skill set matches up poorly with the opposing team's defensive strength, which may lead to worse-than-usual performance.

Bo Naylor, the Guardians's expected catcher today, grades out as an elite pitch framer according to the leading projection system (THE BAT).

• Pitch framing is a catcher's ability to make a ball look like a strike to the umpire, "stealing" strikes for his pitcher. This leads to more positive outcomes (like strikeouts) and fewer negative ones (like walks or earned runs).

Royals vs Guardians Game 2 Game Trends

• The Cleveland Guardians have hit the Game Total Over in 33 of their last 58 games at home (+8.75 Units / 14% ROI)
• The Kansas City Royals have hit the Run Line in 68 of their last 121 games (+8.10 Units / 5% ROI)

Kansas City Royals vs Cleveland Guardians Game 2 Prediction

Final Score: Kansas City Royals 4.48 vs Cleveland Guardians 4.85

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