Guardians vs. Royals Prediction and Odds for Sunday, July 10 (Guardians Return to Form with Plesac Pitching)
By Joe Summers
The Kansas City Royals wrap up a three-game home series with the struggling Cleveland Guardians this afternoon at 2:10 PM EST.
Losers of five straight entering yesterday's matchup, the Guardians are in desperate need of a win behind Zach Plesac today. Luckily, Plesac seems up for the challenge. He's thrown seven consecutive quality starts, compiling a 2.14 ERA in that stretch.
Kansas City turns to Zack Greinke, who had a pair of strong starts before giving up six runs in five innings to Houston last week. He's been excellent at home though, with a 2.14 ERA.
Can Cleveland snap their skid behind Plesac or will Greinke pick up a second straight home win?
To find the value in this Guardians vs Royals series finale, let's first check out the latest odds from WynnBET Sportsbook:
Guardians vs Royals Odds, Run Line and Total
Run Line:
- Guardians -1.5 (+135)
- Royals +1.5 (-155)
Moneyline:
- Guardians: -120
- Royals: +100
Total:
- 9.0 (Over +100/Under -120)
Guardians vs Royals Prediction and Pick
I certainly didn't see this disappointing Guardians slump coming. After rattling off impressive wins through a brutal stretch in their schedule, Cleveland is now losing the easy ones to Detroit and Kansas City. That's no good, but I think the Guardians' talent wins out in the end and I'll back them until it does.
Now at 7 consecutive games, Zach Plesac has the 3rd longest active streak in MLB of starts with 6.0+ IP and 3 ER or fewer.
— Cleveland Stats (@CLE_STATS) July 4, 2022
Luckily, Plesac transformed into an excellent starting pitcher last month and seems well-equipped to get Cleveland back on track.
Plesac's string of strong starts began with the Royals last month, when he held them to one run over six innings, and I think he puts an exclamation mark on this stretch today. At the least, he should keep the Guardians competitive until their superior bullpen takes over.
Zach Greinke has been shaky all year and I'm hesitant to trust him as a short underdog, even at home. His MLB Statcast Pitching Profile certainly isn't encouraging:
Cleveland is bound to right the ship sooner or later. I'm betting that correction starts today behind another dazzling outing from Plesac.
Pick: Guardians (-120)
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