Read the Guardians vs Royals Betting Guide – March 27, 2025

Cleveland Guardians

@

Kansas City Royals

As the Kansas City Royals prepare to host the Cleveland Guardians on March 27, 2025, both teams look for a crucial victory in this American League Central matchup. The Royals, boasting a solid 14th-best offense in MLB, are heavy favorites with an implied team total of 4.79 runs. They are benefitting from the strong performance of Cole Ragans, who is ranked the 12th best starter in MLB according to Power Rankings, indicating his elite status. Ragans is coming off a strong streak, projecting to allow only 2.2 earned runs and average 5.4 innings pitched, while also striking out a respectable 5.8 batters.

Conversely, the Cleveland Guardians find themselves in a tough spot, as they rank just 17th in MLB for offensive prowess. With their projected starter Ben Lively rated among the worst pitchers in the league, the Guardians face an uphill battle. Lively’s projections suggest he may struggle, allowing an average of 3.0 earned runs while pitching only 4.8 innings and striking out only 3.3 batters. Additionally, his propensity to give up 5.2 hits and 1.6 walks does not bode well against a Royals lineup that’s looking to break through despite ranking 20th in home runs.

The matchup presents a significant disparity in the projected performances of the two pitchers. While Ragans has the stats to back his elite ranking, Lively will need to defy the odds to keep the Guardians competitive. Overall, this game shapes up as a pivotal one for the Royals as they try to solidify their position in the standings, while Cleveland looks to find its footing. With the Game Total set at 8.5 runs, bettors will have their eyes on both teams to see if the Royals can capitalize on their opportunity to claim an early series lead.

Cleveland Guardians Insights

• Cleveland Guardians – Moneyline (+150)
  The Cleveland Guardians infield defense profiles as the best out of every team in action today.
  Explain: Defense is an integral part of preventing hits and runs.
• Jose Ramirez – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+110/-145)
  In today’s game, Jose Ramirez is at a disadvantage facing the league’s 4th-deepest LF fences given that he hits his flyballs to the pull field at a 41.4% rate (99th percentile).
  Explain: This player’s skill set does not match up particularly well with the park he’s in today, which may lead to worse-than-usual performance.

Kansas City Royals Insights

• Cole Ragans – Over/Under 16.5 Pitching Outs (-130/+100)
  Compared to the average starting pitcher, Cole Ragans has been granted a longer leash than the average pitcher since the start of last season, tallying an additional 7.7 adjusted pitches each start.
  Explain: Pitchers with a longer leash are more likely to go deeper into games and record more outs.
• Bobby Witt Jr. – Over/Under 1.5 Hits (+140/-180)
  When it comes to his batting average talent, Bobby Witt Jr. is projected as the 4th-best batter in MLB by the leading projection system (THE BAT X).
  Explain: THE BAT X is a highly sophisticated projection system that accounts for a multitude of factors and regularly tests among the most accurate systems available. Batting average is the most common measure of a player’s ability to generate hits.

Betting Trends

• Over/Under 8.5 Game Total (-110/-110)
  The Kansas City Royals have hit the Game Total Under in 56 of their last 96 games (+14.75 Units / 14% ROI)
• Over/Under 8.5 Game Total (-110/-110)
  The Cleveland Guardians have hit the Game Total Under in 26 of their last 40 games (+14.85 Units / 33% ROI)
• Jose Ramirez – Over/Under 1.5 Hits Runs and RBIs (-130/+100)
  Jose Ramirez has hit the Hits Runs and RBIs Under in 13 of his last 20 away games (+6.00 Units / 27% ROI)