Whit Merrifield and the Kansas City Royals will be taking on the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in a Friday showdown. Fox Sports Kansas City is in line to broadcast this AL matchup. The opening pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. ET.
Kansas City Royals vs. Texas Rangers Odds
Texas (-115) is the favorite over Kansas City (+105) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under for this game at 10.5 runs (-115 for the over and -105 for the under). There’s a runline of Royals +1.5 (-200) and Rangers -1.5 (+170) for this matchup.
The Royals are only 19-37 SU and have gone 28-27 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 12.7 units for moneyline gamblers and 5.8 units ATS. The Rangers, on the other hand, are 27-27 SU and 32-21 ATS. The team has gained 8.8 units for moneyline bettors and 6.5 units ATS.
Texas games have a 29-23-1 over/under record so far in 2019. Royals games have gone over 29 times, gone under 22 times and pushed on four occasions.
Danny Duffy is getting the nod for Kansas City. The southpaw Duffy is 3-1 with a 3.12 ERA and 27 strikeouts. He’s 1-0 with six strikeouts and a 7.20 ERA against Texas this year.
The Rangers are putting the ball in the right hand of Ariel Jurado (1-2, 2.28 ERA), who has 16 strikeouts and five walks this season as well as a 1.18 WHIP. Jurado is 0-0 with a 7.71 ERA against Kansas City this year.
Kansas City’s pitching staff allowed 5.2 runs per game and its starters own a 5.45 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 7.50 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.79, along with a K-per-9 of 8.85.
The Royals offense has slashed .247/.319/.413 on its way to 4.5 runs scored per game in 2019, including 4.7 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 4.6 per game over the team’s last five contests (2-3 SU).
Second baseman Whit Merrifield and shortstop Adalberto Mondesi continue to lead Kansas City’s hitters. Merrifield is slashing .293/.350/.500 with seven home runs, 28 RBIs, 41 runs and eight stolen bases, while Mondesi (.287/.322/.489) is up to six homers, 42 RBIs, 34 runs and 18 stolen bases.
For the home team, Texas’ pitching staff has allowed 5.4 runs per game overall in 2019. Its starters have a 5.16 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 5.08 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 7.8 K/9.
Texas’ offense has put up 5.7 runs per outing, including 5.2 per game over its last 10 games and 5.8 per game over its last five. The team’s hit .235/.297/.419 over its last five contests and is 2-3 SU during that span.
The Rangers’ offense has been led by Shin-soo Choo and Elvis Andrus. Choo is hitting .299/.387/.546 with 10 home runs, 25 RBIs and 36 runs scored, while Andrus has produced a line of .309/.359/.475 with six homers, 26 RBIs, 27 runs and 10 stolen bases.
The Royals have lost 9.1 units and are 21-20 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in 24 of those games, compared to 15 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Rangers have lost 0.3 units and are 12-6 ATS when facing a lefty starter. The over’s hit in 10 of those games, compared to seven that’ve gone under.
Royals at Rangers MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Rangers, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – UNDER
Betting Trends
- The under has hit in only two of Kansas City’s last seven games.
- Kansas City has posted 22.5 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 24.2 over its last five.
- The Royals have hit 11 home runs in their last 10 games, including eight over their last five.
- The Royals have a total OPS of .731 this season and an OPS of .758 against right-handed pitchers. The Rangers’ OPS sits at .794 overall and .822 against righties.
