Indians vs Royals Picks: Cleveland Offense Turning Corner

Third baseman Jose Ramirez is leading the charge for Cleveland's offense, batting .280/.374/.602 with a team-leading eight homers and 16 runs scored.

May 3, 2021 • 17:15 ET
Jose Ramirez Cleveland Indians MLB
Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Royals have been one of the biggest surprises in the early goings of this 2021 MLB season. At 16-10, they not only lead the American League Central but have the best record in the AL.

The Royals begin a series Monday with the division rival Cleveland Indians who sit three games back in the Central standings but will be betting favorites in the opener with 4-0 Aaron Civale scheduled to take the ball.

Check out our MLB free picks and predictions for Indians vs. Royals on Monday, May 3, with first pitch scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET.

Indians vs Royals odds

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MLB Sharp Money and Line Movement Report

By Patrick Everson

Cleveland opened a short -109 favorite to Kansas City's -106 at TwinSpires, and the Tribe is up to -115 as of 5:15 p.m. ET. It's two-way action, with 54 percent of bets on the Indians and 59 percent of money on the Royals. The total is stable at 8.5 (Over -113), with the Under drawing 62 percent of bets/68 percent of cash.

Check out the full line movement for this game

Indians vs Royals betting preview

Starting pitchers

Aaron Civale (4-0, 2.94 ERA): Civale hasn’t recorded a loss in five games this season but is coming off his worst start of the year, allowing four runs on eight hits in 7 2-3 innings against the Minnesota Twins. Civale isn’t a big strikeout guy but uses a great mix of pitches to keep hitters off-balance.

Daniel Lynch (0-0, 0.00 ERA): Lynch makes his much-anticipated debut for the Royals. The lefty is the No. 2 ranked prospect in the Royals’ organization and No. 24 overall in MLB. Lynch has a towering presence on the mound at 6-foot-6 and has a plus fastball and slider that helped him put up an impressive 4.2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in the minors.

Weather

Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.

Key injuries

Indians: Cam Hill RP (Out).
Royals: Jesse Hahn RP (Out), Kyle Zimmer RP (Out), Adalberto Mondesi SS (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The Over is 4-1 in Civale’s starts this season and 4-0 in the Royals’ last four games overall. Find more MLB betting trends for Indians vs. Cardinals.

Moneyline pick

Cleveland comes into this game off a series win against the Chicago White Sox and has won five of its last seven overall, largely thanks to its bats. Cleveland, which ranks 21st in scoring and 29th in batting average, has scored a much more respectable 4.86 runs per game, upping its average to .222 over this seven-game stretch.

While Cleveland has struggled against left-handers this season, it's always hard to know what you will get out of pitchers making their major league debuts. On top of that, Lynch will at some point hand the ball to a Royals bullpen that ranks 26th in ERA and 24th in WHIP. 

On the other side, Civale is a good bet to bounce back. While the right-hander is coming off his worst start of the year, he spread that damage out over the game and worked into the eighth inning. In fact, he's allowing opponents to hit just .188 against him this season.

Civale’s consistency combined with the unknown of Lynch and a shaky Royals bullpen means Cleveland is the team to back as a short favorite.

PREDICTION: Cleveland (-120)

Over/Under pick

When it comes to the total, 8.5 seems like a pretty good number. Civale is solid and has a history of pitching deep into games but has allowed seven runs in his last two starts and now has to go against a solid K.C. lineup that ranks 12th in scoring (plating 4.78 runs per game), 14th in OPS, and doesn’t strike out much.

And as noted, it’s hard to know what the Royals will get out of Lynch but he’ll be in tough against Cleveland and the red-hot Jose Ramirez. The Cleveland third baseman is hitting .394 with four homers and nine RBIs over his last 10 games. He and his teammates should get opportunities against a K.C. bullpen that owns a 4.84 ERA. 

PREDICTION: Over 8.5 (-110)

Indians vs Royals betting card

  • Cleveland (-120)
  • Over 8.5 (-110)

Picks made on 5/03/2021 at 1:45 p.m. ET

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