The Kansas City Royals are making a road trip to Arlington to square off against the Rangers at Globe Life Park. The game gets underway 8:05 p.m. ET and Fox Sports Kansas City will be televising this AL matchup.
Kansas City Royals vs. Texas Rangers Odds
Kansas City (+160) is the underdog against Texas (-170) and oddsmakers have the Over/Under for this night game at 10.5 runs. The odds for wagering on the game’s total currently sit at -110 for both the over and the under. Runline odds stand at -135 for picking the Royals +1.5 runs and +115 for the Rangers -1.5.
The Royals have gone only 18-37 SU this year and are 27-27 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 11.7 units for moneyline bettors and 6.8 units ATS. The Rangers, on the other hand, are 27-26 SU and 31-21 ATS. The team’s gained 7.5 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 5.5 units ATS.
Texas games have an over/under record of 28-23-1 so far in 2019. The Royals have been a decent over bet with a total record of 28-22-4.
The right-handed Jakob Junis is the projected starter for Kansas City. Junis (3-5, 5.58 ERA) has racked up 54 strikeouts in 61.1 innings so far. He has yet to face the Rangers this year and only made one start against them in 2018 (0-1, 4.50 ERA and four strikeouts over six innings).
The Rangers are preparing to start lefty Mike Minor (5-3, 2.55 ERA), who’s got 72 strikeouts and 22 walks to his name, along with a 1.13 WHIP. Minor is 1-0 with three strikeouts and a 1.80 ERA in one start against Kansas City this year.
As a unit, Texas’ pitching staff has allowed 5.4 runs per game overall in 2019. The club’s starters have a 5.15 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 5.13 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 7.6 K/9.
Texas’ hitters have produced 5.7 runs per outing, including 5.5 per game over its last 10 games and 5.8 per game over their last five. The team has slashed .233/.303/.389 over its last five contests and is 2-3 SU during that span.
Shin-soo Choo and Elvis Andrus have led the way for the Rangers’ hitters this year. Choo is hitting .295/.385/.532 with nine home runs, 24 RBIs and 35 runs scored, while Andrus has produced a line of .311/.361/.480 with six homers, 26 RBIs, 27 runs and 10 stolen bases.
For the visiting squad, Kansas City’s pitchers have allowed 5.3 runs per game and its starters own a 5.50 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 7.44 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 4.86, along with a WHIP of 1.48 and a K-per-9 of 8.75.
The Royals offense has slashed .246/.319/.412 on its way to 4.5 runs scored per game this season, including 4.6 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 4.8 per game over the team’s last five contests (1-4 SU).
Kansas City’s hitters have been paced by second baseman Whit Merrifield and shortstop Adalberto Mondesi. Merrifield is slashing .295/.353/.507 with seven home runs, 28 RBIs, 41 runs and eight stolen bases, while Mondesi is hitting .277/.311/.468 with five homers, 41 RBIs, 32 runs and 18 steals.
The Royals have lost 3.6 units and are 7-7 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has hit in five of those games, compared to seven that’ve gone under against lefty starters. On the other hand, the Rangers have netted 9.1 units and are 20-15 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in 19 of those games, as opposed to 16 which went under the total.
Royals vs. Rangers Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Rangers, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – UNDER
Betting Notes
- The under has cashed in five of Texas’ last seven games.
- The Royals have an OPS of .731 this season, including an OPS of .650 when facing left-handed pitchers. The Rangers’ OPS sits at .798 overall and .723 against southpaws.
- The Royals have dropped six of their last seven games SU.
- Texas has posted 23.3 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 22.6 over its last five.
- The Royals have hit nine home runs in their last 10 games, including six over their last five.
