Cleveland Guardians vs. Kansas City Royals Prediction: Can the Guardians Get To Zack Greinke Tonight?
The Cleveland Guardians take on the Kansas City Royals tonight. Can the Guardians get to Zack Greinke? Handicapper Ben Rajavuori answers and shares his prediction for the game.
Ben Rajavuori - July 25, 2023, 5:05 PM EDT
5 minCleveland Guardians vs. Kansas City Royals Prediction: Can the Guardians Get To Zack Greinke Tonight?
It seems incredible that Zack Greinke is still in the MLB at this point, but here he is, starting against a familiar face in the Guardians tonight. Greinke started with the Royals back in 2004 and was there until 2010, but now he is finally back after stints in Milwaukee, Los Angeles, Arizona, and Astros. Greinke has really been struggling since coming back to the Royals, although the whole team as a whole has been struggling. Greinke has a 5.4 ERA this season and has been even worse on the road. Will that continue tonight?
Guardians vs. Royals Date, Time, Where to Watch
- Date: July 25, 2023
- Time: 7:10 pm ET
- Where to Watch: MLBTV
Cleveland Guardians vs. Kansas City Royals Prediction
Greinke is 0-6 on the road this season with a 7.42 ERA. What has been most significant this season, though, is the drop off in Greinke's strikeout numbers. Greinke has .68 strikeouts per inning this season, which ranks in the 8th percentile among MLB pitchers. He only has 65 strikeouts in 96.2 innings pitched. Last year, he had 73 strikeouts in 137 innings pitched. Greinke was never the highest strikeout threat, but he was always around one strikeout per inning for most of his career. Perhaps the slight drop off in velocity is costing him in his older age, as told by his increased ERA and lower strikeout numbers. Tonight, he should especially struggle to find strikeouts against the Guardians.
The Guardians have been an extremely hard team to sit down on strikes this season. Patience and staying alive have extended their at-bats and made it very difficult for opposing pitchers to find strikeouts against them. They are second in the MLB with a 19% strikeout rate at home against right-handed pitchers, only behind the Nationals.
Since re-joining the Royals last season, the Guardians have been a pain in Greinke's butt, at least strikeout-wise. His ERA is actually decent, but he has found next to no strikeouts whatsoever. In Greinke's five starts since joining the Royals again, he has only nine COMBINED strikeouts, meaning he has gotten .31 strikeouts per inning against the Guardians the last two seasons. In four of those starts, he didn't get more than two strikeouts. Tonight, his line is 2.5, with juice to the under. Still, even at this price, I like the under.
Greinke just does not have it anymore, especially on the road. His strikeout numbers are dipping and his ERA is skyrocketing. The Guardians have been a tough team to strike out, and they have not struck out against Greinke much at all recently. This is a very low line for a reason. I'm on Greinke to go under 2.5 strikeouts.
Cleveland Guardians vs. Kansas City Royals Pick
Pick: Zack Greinke under 2.5 Strikeouts -155 is currently the best odds. Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick
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