Royals vs. Guardians odds, prediction, line: 2022 MLB picks, Wednesday, June 1 best bets from proven model

The AL Central takes the stage on Wednesday with an afternoon matchup at Progressive Field. The Cleveland Guardians host the Kansas City Royals in a division clash that doubles as the final contest of a three-game series. Cleveland won the first two games, improving to 21-24 overall. Kansas City aims to improve on a 16-32 mark and seeks a victory to avoid a sweep.

First pitch is at 1:10 p.m. ET in Cleveland. Caesars Sportsbook lists the Guardians as -140 favorites on the money line, while the Over-Under, or total number of runs Vegas thinks will be scored, is nine in the latest Royals vs. Guardians odds. Before you make any Guardians vs. Royals picks and MLB predictions, you need to see the MLB predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s advanced computer model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times and it is off to a strong start to the 2022 season. It’s on a 48-31 roll on top-rated MLB money-line picks through eight weeks, returning over $1,100 for $100 players. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Royals vs. Guardians and just locked in its picks and MLB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several MLB odds and betting lines for Guardians vs. Royals:

• Royals vs. Guardians money line: Guardians -140, Royals +120
• Royals vs. Guardians over-under: nine runs
• Royals vs. Guardians run line: Guardians -1.5 (+140)
• Royals vs. Guardians tickets: See tickets at StubHub
• Kansas City: The Royals are 8-17 in road games
• Cleveland: The Guardians are 10-8 in home games

Why you should back the Royals

The Royals have a strong starting pitching option on Wednesday, leading to a high baseline. Brad Keller takes the ball for Kansas City, and he has flummoxed Cleveland across his career. Keller has a 1.71 ERA in 10 career outings against the Guardians, and he has a stellar 50.7 percent career ground ball rate. In 2022, Keller’s ground ball rate is 50.3 percent, and he is walking only 2.5 batters per nine innings. That leads to a solid 3.95 ERA in nine starts this season, and Cleveland is in the bottom five of the AL with only 40 home runs. 

On offense, the Royals are in the top five of the league in triples (11), stolen bases (29), and strikeout avoidance (264). Kansas City is also above-average in hits (387), and the Royals should bring desperation to avoid a potential sweep by Cleveland.

Why you should back the Guardians

Cleveland has an impressive pitching projection in this matchup. At the outset, 24-year-old left-hander Konnor Pilkington is set to take the ball, and he has more than a strikeout per inning this season. Pilkington enters with a 3.75 ERA overall and a 2.70 ERA at home, and left-handed hitters have a hideous .393 OPS against him. When Pilkington exits, the Guardians can turn to an impressive bullpen, with Cleveland’s relievers posting a 3.23 ERA with more than a strikeout per inning.

Kansas City is near the bottom of the American League in runs scored (182) and slugging percentage (.364) on offense. On the run production side, the Guardians lead the league in strikeout avoidance and triples, with top-tier marks in batting average and stolen bases. Kansas City has the worst bullpen ERA (4.84) in the American league, and the Royals relievers are also walking 4.41 batters per nine innings this season.

How to make Royals vs. Guardians picks

SportsLine’s model is leaning under on the total, and it says one side of the money line has all the value. You can only get the MLB model’s picks at SportsLine.

So who wins Royals vs. Guardians? And which side has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of Royals vs. Guardians you need to jump on Wednesday, all from the model that has crushed its MLB picks, and find out.