NEWSLETTER
Ben Lively will take the mound for the Cleveland Guardians (51-27) when they visit starter Michael Wacha and the Kansas City Royals (44-38) in a series opener on Thursday, with first pitch at 8:10 PM ET.
Keep reading to see how to watch the Cleveland-Kansas City matchup in the article below.
When is Guardians vs. Royals and when does it start?
Where to watch Guardians vs. Royals
The Guardians and Royals will hit the field at Kauffman Stadium for this matchup on June 27, and if you’d like to catch the action live, get your tickets now from Vivid Seats!
What channel is the game on?
You can catch this game live on Fox Sports 1.
Watch the Guardians vs. Royals live stream on Fubo
Free Live Stream Online: Start your free Fubo trial today!
Guardians vs. Royals Game Preview
Guardians Stats, Odds & Insights
The Guardians have won 35 of the 50 games they were the moneyline favorite this season (70%).
Cleveland is eighth-best in MLB play with 92 total home runs.
The Guardians rank ninth in MLB, slugging .411.
Cleveland’s 3.51 team ERA ranks fifth across all MLB pitching staffs.
The Guardians have the seventh-lowest WHIP in MLB (1.197).
Royals Stats, Odds & Insights
This season, the Royals have been the underdog 48 times and won 22, or 45.8%, of those games.
Kansas City ranks 17th in Major League Baseball with 79 home runs.
Fueled by 241 extra-base hits, the Royals rank 13th in MLB with a .397 slugging percentage this season.
Kansas City has pitched to a 3.81 ERA this season, which ranks 10th in baseball.
The Royals rank 15th in MLB with a combined 1.263 WHIP this season.
Guardians Starter Recent Performance: Ben Lively
| Opponent | Date | IP | H | R | ER | K | BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs. Blue Jays | June 22 | 5.2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| at Blue Jays | June 16 | 4.0 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| at Marlins | June 8 | 5.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| vs. Nationals | June 1 | 5.2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| at Angels | May 26 | 7.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
Royals Starter Recent Performance: Michael Wacha
| Opponent | Date | IP | H | R | ER | K | BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| at Rangers | June 22 | 5.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| vs. Padres | May 31 | 5.1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| at Rays | May 26 | 6.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
| vs. Tigers | May 20 | 7.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| at Mariners | May 14 | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 2 |
Guardians Key Players to Watch
The Guardians will send Lively (7-3) to the mound to make his 13th start of the season. He is 7-3 with a 3.03 ERA and 56 strikeouts through 65 1/3 innings pitched.
His last appearance was on Saturday against the Toronto Blue Jays, when the right-hander tossed 5 2/3 innings, surrendering two earned runs while allowing three hits.
In 12 games this season, the 32-year-old has a 3.03 ERA and 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings, while allowing a batting average of .232 to opposing batters.
Jose Ramirez leads Cleveland in home runs with 21, runs batted in with 72 and his batting average of .275 is also best on his team.
Josh Naylor is batting .241 with an OBP of .322 and a slugging percentage of .504 this season.
Steven Kwan has 80 hits this season and a slash line of .377/.436/.552.
Royals Key Players to Watch
Wacha (4-6) will take the mound for the Royals, his 14th start of the season.
The right-hander last pitched on Saturday, when he gave up one earned run and allowed three hits in five innings against the Texas Rangers.
The 32-year-old has an ERA of 4.07, a 2.9 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a WHIP of 1.219 in 13 games this season.
Bobby Witt Jr. leads the Royals in home runs (12), runs batted in (53) and has accumulated a team-high batting average of .311.
Vinnie Pasquantino is hitting .236 with 21 doubles, two triples, eight home runs and 31 walks.
Maikel Garcia is batting .232 with 14 doubles, three triples, five home runs and 26 walks.
Get more MLB picks.
If you are new to sports betting, read our in-depth guide on betting on Baseball and find the best MLB betting sites and promo codes.
