The Cleveland Guardians host the Kansas City Royals on September 9, 2025. First pitch from Progressive Field is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. EDT; the game will be broadcast on CLEG.
The Cleveland Guardians enter Game 2 of their AL Central series as a -130 favorite on the moneyline, with the Kansas City Royals priced at +105 to pull off the upset. Oddsmakers have set the total at 7.5 runs.
Find my MLB betting preview and Royals vs Guardians prediction below, as well as probable pitchers, betting trends, injury reports and more.
Our Royals vs Guardians Prediction
- Royals vs Guardians pick: Under 7.5
Our Royals vs Guardians best bet is on the under total runs. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Royals vs Guardians Odds
| Royals Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -210 | 7.5 -118o / -102u | +105 |
| Guardians Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +170 | 7.5 -118o / -102u | -130 |
Royals vs Guardians Projected Starting Pitchers
| LHP Noah Cameron (KCR) | Stat | LHP Joey Cantillo (CLE) |
|---|---|---|
| 7-6 | W-L | 4-3 |
| 1.5 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | 0.9 |
| 3.03/3.67 | ERA /xERA | 3.73/3.77 |
| 4.23/4.37 | FIP / xFIP | 3.75/3.73 |
| 1.13 | WHIP | 1.40 |
| 11.3% | K-BB% | 15.6% |
| 40.5% | GB% | 41.8% |
| 94 | Stuff+ | 89 |
| 101 | Location+ | 102 |
Royals vs Guardians Prediction, Betting Analysis
Cleveland took control in Game 1 behind a stellar outing from Slade Cecconi, who carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning. The Guardians broke the game open late and rolled to a 10-2 win, leapfrogging Kansas City in both the standings and the AL wild-card race. Cleveland now sits at 73-70, just ahead of Kansas City at 73-71.
On the mound Tuesday, Noah Cameron gets the ball for the Royals. The left-hander has quietly been effective, going 3-3 with a 2.94 ERA in nine career road starts. He’ll be opposed by Joey Cantillo, who is coming off a strong performance against the Red Sox in which he allowed just one run and struck out seven to earn the win.
While Monday’s matchup turned into a blowout, the betting angle for Game 2 leans the other way—toward a lower-scoring contest.
This game fits into Evan Abrams’ Silent Sharp Unders system, which highlights regular-season matchups between competitive, winning teams where the total quietly moves lower despite public attention being focused elsewhere.
Pick: Under 7.5 (-102, BetMGM)
Royals vs Guardians Betting Trends
