Cleveland Guardians (72-79, second in the AL Central) vs. Kansas City Royals (49-102, fifth in the AL Central)
Kansas City, Missouri; Tuesday, 7:40 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Guardians: Logan Allen (7-7, 3.60 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 118 strikeouts); Royals: Steven Cruz (0-0, 5.14 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, nine strikeouts)
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Guardians -163, Royals +138; over/under is 9 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Kansas City Royals take a 1-0 advantage into the latest game of the series against the Cleveland Guardians.
Kansas City has gone 29-47 in home games and 49-102 overall. Royals hitters are batting a collective .243, which ranks ninth in the AL.
Cleveland has a 33-43 record in road games and a 72-79 record overall. The Guardians have a 20-7 record in games when they hit two or more home runs.
The matchup Tuesday is the 12th meeting between these teams this season. The Guardians hold a 7-4 advantage in the season series.
TOP PERFORMERS: Bobby Witt Jr. leads the Royals with 64 extra base hits (27 doubles, eight triples and 29 home runs). Michael Massey is 9-for-37 with a double, four home runs and 10 RBI over the past 10 games.
Jose Ramirez has 34 doubles, five triples and 24 home runs for the Guardians. Andres Gimenez is 15-for-40 with two doubles and a home run over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Royals: 5-5, .239 batting average, 5.44 ERA, outscored by five runs
Guardians: 5-5, .274 batting average, 3.31 ERA, outscored opponents by 13 runs
INJURIES: Royals: Freddy Fermin: 60-Day IL (finger), Salvador Perez: 7-Day IL (concussion), Austin Cox: 60-Day IL (knee), Daniel Lynch: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jake Brentz: 60-Day IL (elbow), John McMillon: 15-Day IL (forearm), Josh Staumont: 60-Day IL (neck), Josh Taylor: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Vinnie Pasquantino: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Kris Bubic: 60-Day IL (flexor)
Guardians: Tanner Bibee: 15-Day IL (hip), Michael Kelly: 15-Day IL (back), Shane Bieber: 60-Day IL (elbow), Triston McKenzie: 60-Day IL (elbow)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.