Kansas City Royals vs. Texas Rangers Free Preview

betdsiArticles, Baseball, MLB

The Kansas City Royals are ready to face off against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park. Fox Sports Kansas City is in line to broadcast this AL matchup and the opening pitch will be at 3:05 p.m. ET.

Kansas City Royals vs. Texas Rangers Odds

Kansas City (+140) is entering this game as the underdog against Texas (-150) and Vegas has set the Over/Under for this one at 10 runs. Odds for wagering on the games total sit at -115 for the under and -105 for the over. Gamblers can also bet on the games spread with the runline odds sitting at -155 for the Royals +1.5 runs and +135 for the Rangers -1.5 runs.

The Royals have gone only 17-35 SU this year and are 23-28 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 11.8 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 9.7 units ATS. Kansas City is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the total has gone under in three of those seven. The Rangers, on the other hand, are 22-32 SU and 22-31 ATS. The team has lost 3.0 units for moneyline bettors and 13.8 units ATS. Texas has a 3-4 ATS mark over its last seven games and the over has hit in three of those seven.

Rangers games have an over/under record of 26-22-5 so far in 2018. Kansas City has been a decent under bet with a total record of 20-28-3.

Jason Hammel is getting the nod for the visiting Royals. The right-handed Hammel is 1-5 with a 5.70 ERA and 33 strikeouts. He has yet to face Texas this year, but he made two starts against the team in 2017, compiling a 0-1 record with a 6.23 ERA and nine strikeouts.

The Rangers are handing the ball to lefty Cole Hamels (3-4, 3.38 ERA), who has 64 strikeouts and 23 walks to his name, as well as a WHIP of 1.23. Hamels made two starts against the team in 2017, posting a 1-0 record in 2017, putting together a 1-0 record with a 0.57 ERA and eight strikeouts.

Texas pitching staff has allowed 5.4 runs per game overall this season as a unit. The teams starters have a 5.26 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 7.2 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.09 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 8.3 K/9.

Texas offense is putting up 4.3 runs per contest, including 5.4 per game over its last 10 games and 6.4 per game over its last five. The team has a slash-line of .248/.353/.497 over its last five games and is 4-1 SU during that stretch.

Nomar Mazara and Shin-soo Choo have led the Rangers hitters this year. Mazara is hitting .269/.335/.502 with 12 home runs, 34 RBIs and 30 runs scored, while Choo’s line is .259/.359/.423 with eight homers, 23 RBIs and 32 runs.

Mazara seemed to enjoy hitting righty pitching at home in 2017, slashing .312/.379/.526 in 240 such plate appearances (his total season line was .253/.323/.422).

For the visitors, Kansas City’s pitching staff allowed 5.6 runs per game and its starters own a 5.45 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 7.23 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 5.15, along with a K/9 of 6.90.

The Royals offense has slashed .254/.320/.382 on its way to 4.0 runs scored per game in 2018, including 3.7 runs per game over the teams last 10 games and 5.0 per game over the teams last five outings (3-2 SU).

Kansas City’s offensive production been led by left fielder Jon Jay and second baseman Whit Merrifield. Jay is slashing .289/.345/.333 with 58 hits, 14 RBIs and 21 runs scored, while Merrifield is hitting .288/.360/.424 with 57 hits, 21 RBIs, 25 runs and 12 stolen bases.

Compared to his total season slash line of .288/.325/.460, Merrifield did not seem to enjoy batting against lefties on the road last season, putting up a slash line of only .250/.262/.300 across 61 such plate appearances.

The Royals have gained 1.7 units and are 11-8 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has hit in eight of those games, compared to 11 that’ve hit the under in such games. On the other hand, the Rangers have lost 1.2 units and are 16-21 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 17 of those games, as opposed to 18 which went under the total.

Kansas City Royals at Texas Rangers MLB Tip

Predictions: SU Winner – Rangers, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – UNDER

Betting Trends

  • The Rangers have won four of their last five games SU.
  • Kansas City fielders have three errors over the last 10 games, compared to eight errors for Texas over its last 10.
  • The Royals have hit six home runs in their last 10 games, including five over their last five.