Jeremy Guthrie is one of those pitchers that always pitches on the edge he's always due for a poor start considering he does not always have elite control and he doesn't have a strike out pitch. Facing the Indians is a major issue in 232 AB the Indians have a .302 average and a .863 OPS. The middle of the line up have the following stat lines - 1.132 OPS, 1.634, 1.231, 1.161 and they are all likely in the lineup tonight. The Indians are 7th in OPS vs. RHP and are 23-18 at home, 37-18 in their last 55 home games as a favorite. I think they bounce back because they'll have the young TJ House on the mound who has pitched much better than his numbers reflect.
First of all for House he has struggled vs. the two top 5 offenses he faced giving up 10 ER in 9.1 IP. He's only had 1 home start out of his 6 as well, but against 4 other opponents he carries a 2.31 ERA. The Royals offense is not elite by any means vs. LHP ranked 24th in OPS and is scoring only 2.95 runs per 9 vs. LHP over their last 10 games. The fast ball is a young pitcher's best friend and House can throw it often as the Royals are ranked 28th vs. FB in value. Overall Cleveland's bullpen is a bit better and has been performing well posting a 2.63 ERA over their last 10. This is great value for a home team.
