The visiting Indians hope for a solid performance on Monday as they look to steal a win at Kauffman Stadium against the Kansas City Royals.

Cleveland puts its faith in starter Scott Kazmir to earn a win and boost his personal mark of 8-8. Getting the ball for the Royals is James Shields, who owns a 11-9 record on the season with a 3.38 ERA.



View Cleveland vs Kansas City Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The Indians were listed as +-154 underdogs on the baseball moneyline at many online sportsbooks, including Sportsbook. The total was set at 8 before betting started earlier on Monday over at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings:
This game puts the Royals, most recently No. 4 in the American League Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings, up against the Indians, who rate an American League No. 6 in the latest survey.



How They Match Up:
Rating these teams in several key categories is important for handicappers and Kansas City has the American League's No. 11-rated offensive output, at 8.9 hits per game. The Indians average 8.5 hits per game, good for No. 11 on the American League list.

Comparing defensive stats, Cleveland owns the American League's No. 7-rated road mark, allowing 4.2 runs per game on the highway. Kansas City, on the other hand, rates No. 11 in scoring at home.

The Indians were a 7-1 Sportsbook in their most recent outing on the road against the White Sox. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Cleveland at +114 on the moneyline, while the total score (8) was good news for OVER bettors. The Indians enjoyed a 7-1 victory at the expense of the White Sox on Sunday, with Zach McAllister throwing 6 2/3 innings of 6-hit ball at U.S. Cellular Field.

Kansas City was a 3-2 loser in its last match on the road against the Tigers. They lost as +178 underdogs, while the total score of 5 made Sportsbooks of UNDER bettors. Kansas City suffered a 3-2 loss against Detroit on Sunday, as Jeremy Guthrie wasn't able to lead his team to victory at Comerica Park.


Cleveland Indians Trends:
When playing on Monday are 5-5
Before playing Kansas City are 7-3
After playing Chi White Sox are 9-1
After a win are 6-4

Kansas City Royals Trends:
When playing on Monday are 3-7
Before playing Cleveland are 4-6
After playing Detroit are 5-5
After a loss are 6-4

A few Indians at Royals trends to consider:
Cleveland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Cleveland's last 6 games when playing on the road against Kansas City
Cleveland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cleveland's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Kansas City's last 6 games when playing at home against Cleveland
Kansas City is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games at home
Kansas City is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Cleveland
Kansas City is 14-7 SU in its last 21 games


Next up:
Cleveland at Kansas City, Tuesday, September 17