The visiting Royals hope for a solid performance on Friday as they look to steal a win at Progressive Field against the Cleveland Indians.

Felipe Paulino, with a record of 2-5 on the season, gets the ball for the Royals, while the Indians trot Ubaldo Jimenez to the mound in this one. He is 7-10 so far in 2011.



View Kansas City vs Cleveland Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The Royals were listed as +-150 underdogs on the baseball moneyline at many online sportsbooks. The total was set at 9 before betting started earlier on Monday.

Power Rankings:
The Indians sit at No. 13 in the American League in the current MLB power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Royals sit at an American League No. 9 on the same chart.



How They Match Up:
At the plate, Cleveland owns the No. 10 ranking for hits in the American League at 8.5 per game. By contrast, the Royals are rated No. 3 in the same category at 9.3 per game.

Defensively, Kansas City features the American League's No. 13-rated defense on the road, allowing 5.1 runs per game. Cleveland, meanwhile, comes in at No. 8 in the American League at home, scoring 4.2 runs per game.

Last time out for Kansas City, they were a 9-6 Sportsbook as they battled the Blue Jays on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Royals at +152 were rewarded, while the 15 combined runs moved the game OVER for totals bettors. The Royals enjoyed a 9-6 victory at the expense of the Blue Jays on Thursday, with Jeff Francis throwing 6 innings of 6-hit ball at Rogers Centre.

In their last action, Cleveland was a 9-2 loser at home against the Mariners. Bettors on Seattle at -102 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (11) sent OVER bettors home happy as well. The Indians endured a 9-2 loss at the hands of the Mariners on Wednesday, with Josh Tomlin throwing 4 2/3 innings of 11-hit ball at Progressive Field.


Kansas City Royals Trends:
When playing on Friday are 3-7
Before playing Cleveland are 3-7
After playing Toronto are 4-6
After a win are 2-8

Cleveland Indians Trends:
When playing on Friday are 4-6
Before playing Kansas City are 6-4
After playing Seattle are 7-3
After a loss are 6-4

A few Royals at Indians trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Kansas City's last 8 games when playing Cleveland
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Kansas City's last 6 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
Kansas City is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games on the road
Kansas City is 5-12 SU in its last 17 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Cleveland's last 6 games
Cleveland is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Kansas City
Cleveland is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Kansas City
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Cleveland's last 8 games when playing Kansas City


Next up:
Kansas City at Cleveland, Saturday, August 27