A key battle on the MLB odds menu sees visiting Kansas City duelling Cleveland on Monday at Progressive Field.

Cleveland sends Ubaldo Jimenez out against Ervin Santana for the Royals in this game. Jimenez is 10-9 with a 3.79 ERA on the season, while Santana is 8-8 on the year and has a 3.33 ERA.



View Kansas City vs Cleveland Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Those going with the Indians in this one found them listed as moneyline favorites of -115 at Sportsbook for Monday's contest. The total was hovering near 8 at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings:
The Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings have the Indians at No. 6 in the American League and the Royals at No. 4 in the American League heading into this contest.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Cleveland's No. 7-rated American League offense, averaging 4.5 runs per game, against a Royals defense that ranks No. 1 in the American League at 3.8 in runs allowed per game. The Indians have averaged 8.5 hits per game so far, less than Royals batters have averaged on the year (8.9 hits per game).

Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and Cleveland has the American League's No. 8-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Royals own the American League's No. 1 mark in runs allowed.

The Royals were a 5-2 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against the Tigers. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Kansas City at +107 on the moneyline, while the total score (7) was good news for UNDER bettors. The Royals enjoyed a 5-2 victory at the expense of the Tigers on Sunday, with Bruce Chen throwing 7 innings of 5-hit ball at Kauffman Stadium.

The Indians were a 2-1 loser in their most recent outing at home against the Mets. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got New York at +235 on the moneyline, while the total score (3) was good news for UNDER bettors. The Indians endured a 2-1 loss at the hands of the Mets on Sunday, with Danny Salazar throwing 4 innings of 4-hit ball at Progressive Field.


Kansas City Royals Trends:
When playing on Monday are 8-2
Before playing Cleveland are 4-6
After playing Detroit are 5-5
After a win are 7-3

Cleveland Indians Trends:
When playing on Monday are 3-7
Before playing Kansas City are 8-2
After playing NY Mets are 5-5
After a loss are 6-4

A few Royals at Indians trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Kansas City's last 6 games on the road
Kansas City is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Kansas City's last 11 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Kansas City's last 7 games when playing Cleveland
Cleveland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Kansas City
Cleveland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Cleveland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
Cleveland is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Kansas City


Next up:
Kansas City at Cleveland, Tuesday, September 10