This is a play on the KANSAS CITY ROYALS for our Thursday Free Play. We won with the Royals in this spot last night as the strategy of a bullpen game with fresh relievers came through and Kansas City needs this game to force the series split. The Royals can again overtake Cleveland with a win and it will be a big victory as they travel to Philadelphia next before their final homestand consisting of Seattle and Toronto for three games each. Stephen Kolek has made two starts for the Royals since coming over from San Diego and he has been great with a 2.08 ERA and 0.85 WHIP. Going back to his days with the Padres, he has a 2.41 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 10 starts on the road and is pitching to a 2.88 xERA. The Guardians had their five-game winning streak snapped and have fallen three and a half game behind Seattle for the final Wild Card spot in the American League with Texas also in front of them. After a 9-1 run in late July/early August, the Guardians went 3-11 over their next 14 games prior to a 9-4 run which included that five-game streak so this team has been streaky. Gavin Williams is having a sneaky good season as he has a 3.17 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in 28 starts including a 3.00 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 10 home outings. The Guardians have not taken full advantage as they are 14-14 overall and 8-6 at home which includes a 2-4 record when coming off a loss. Cleveland is 1-8 in his last nine home starts as a favorite between -125 and -175.
Play (913) Kansas City Royals
