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

Derek Lowe gets the ball in front of a hostile crowd for the Indians on this day; he's 1-0 on the season. The Royals, meanwhile, will counter with Luke Hochevar, who will be looking to improve on his 1-0 mark.



View Cleveland vs Kansas City Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Kansas City opened as +140 moneyline underdogs in this baseball match, based on the starting pitcher matchup. That pairing made odds makers settle on an Sportsbook over under number of 8.5.

Power Rankings:
According to new MLB Power Rankings here, it's the American League No. 13-ranked Royals and the American League No. 6-rated Indians in this matchup.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Kansas City's No. 13 ranked American League offense (3.3 runs per game) against a Indians defense and pitching staff that sits at No. 13 in the American League at 6.2 runs allowed per game. The Royals have been averaging 7.7 hits per game, more than the Indians have managed so far this season (6.6 hits on average).

Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and Kansas City has the American League's No. 2-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Indians own the American League's No. 13 mark in runs allowed.

Cleveland was a 10-6 loser in its last match at home against the White Sox. They lost as -128 favorites, while the total score of 16 made Sportsbooks of OVER bettors. The Indians were saddled with a loss last time out in Justin Masterson's start, as they lost 10-6 against Chicago on Wednesday at Progressive Field.

Last time out for Kansas City, they were a 5-4 loser as they battled the Athletics on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Athletics at -125 were rewarded, while the 9 combined runs moved the game OVER for totals bettors. Kansas City lost in extra innings against the Athletics on Wednesday as Oakland edged them 5-4 at O.co Coliseum.


Cleveland Indians Trends:
When playing on Friday are 3-7
Before playing Kansas City are 5-5
After playing Chi White Sox are 4-6
After a loss are 4-6

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

A few Indians at Royals trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Cleveland's last 7 games on the road
Cleveland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Kansas City
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cleveland's last 5 games when playing on the road against Kansas City
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Cleveland's last 14 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Kansas City's last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Kansas City's last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland
Kansas City is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 14 of Kansas City's last 19 games


Next up:
Cleveland at Kansas City, Saturday, April 14