The Kansas City Royals will be facing off against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Fox Sports Kansas City will televise this AL matchup and the action gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET.
Kansas City Royals vs. Tampa Bay Rays Odds
The Royals are 38-88 SU and are 59-66 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 33.3 units for gamblers taking the moneyline and 17.6 units ATS. Kansas City has covered the spread six times in its last seven games and the total has gone over in four of those seven. The Rays, on the other hand, are 65-61 SU and 67-58 ATS. The team’s gained 8.6 units for moneyline bettors and 10.4 units ATS. Tampa Bay has a 3-4 ATS record over its last seven outings and the under has hit in six of those seven.
Tampa Bay games have had an over/under record of 52-70-3 in 2018. The Royals have also been a decent under bet with a total record of 54-64-7.
Jakob Junis will get the start for the visiting Royals. The right-handed Junis is 6-11 with a 4.76 ERA and 127 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Rays this year and only made one start against them in 2017 (2-0, 1.35 ERA and 10 strikeouts over 6.2 innings).
The Rays will put the ball in the right hand of Ryne Stanek (1-3, 2.68 ERA, 1.09 WHIP), who has 62 punchouts and 21 walks. Stanek is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA against Kansas City this year.
Tampa Bay’s pitching staff has given up 4.0 runs per game overall this season as a unit. The team’s starters have an ERA of 3.73, a WHIP of 1.19 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 9.3. The bullpen has a 3.73 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 8.3 K/9.
The Tampa Bay offense is putting up 4.1 runs per outing, including 2.6 per game over its last 10 games and 2.4 per game over its last five. The team has slashed .236/.317/.373 over its last five contests and is 3-2 SU during that stretch.
Third baseman Matt Duffy and left fielder Mallex Smith have led the Rays’ hitters this year. Duffy is hitting .291/.348/.367 with four home runs, 32 RBIs and 42 runs scored, while Smith’s line sits at .302/.374/.426 with 110 hits, 29 RBIs, 49 runs and 26 steals.
In the visiting dugout, Kansas City’s pitchers have allowed 5.4 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 5.33 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 7.39 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 5.17, along with a K-per-9 of 7.34.
The Royals offense has slashed .240/.304/.373 on its way to 3.7 runs scored per game in 2018, including 3.4 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 2.6 per game over the team’s last five contests (1-4 SU).
Second baseman Whit Merrifield and catcher Salvador Perez continue to lead Kansas City’s hitters. The speedy Merrifield is hitting .303/.372/.426 with eight home runs, 43 RBIs, 58 runs and 27 stolen bases, while Perez is hitting .235/.273/.431 with 21 homers, 60 RBIs and 40 runs scored.
The Royals have lost 28.9 units and are 37-48 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has hit in 40 of those games, compared to 40 that’ve gone under against righties. On the other hand, the Rays have netted 2.3 units and are 45-43 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in 40 of those games, compared to 46 which went under the total.
Kansas City Royals at Tampa Bay Rays MLB Tip
Predictions: SU Winner – Rays, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- Kansas City has recorded 12 extra-base hits over its last five outings. Tampa Bay has 13 XBH over its last five.
- The Royals have dropped four of their last five games SU.
- Kansas City has recorded 19.0 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 games and 16.6 over its last five.
- The Royals have hit 10 home runs in their last 10 games. The Rays have hit six over their last 10.
