Whit Merrifield and the Kansas City Royals are ready to take the field against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field in a Tuesday showdown. The game gets underway 7:10 p.m. ET and Fox Sports Kansas City will be televising this AL matchup.
Kansas City Royals vs. Tampa Bay Rays Odds
The Royals have gone just 7-16 SU this year and are 12-10 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 7.1 units for moneyline gamblers in this young season, despite having gained 0.3 units ATS. Kansas City is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the total has gone under in five of those seven. The Rays, on the other hand, are 15-8 SU and 14-8 ATS. They’ve gained 2.8 units for moneyline bettors and 5.8 units ATS. Tampa Bay has a 3-4 ATS record over its last seven outings and the total has gone over in five of those seven.
Tampa Bay games have a 9-12-1 over/under record so far in 2019. The Royals have an over/under record of 13-8-1.
The right-handed Homer Bailey will get the nod for the visiting Royals. Bailey (2-1, 4.30 ERA) has recorded 27 strikeouts in 23 innings so far. He has yet to face the Rays this year and did not record a start against them in 2018, either.
The Rays are turning to righty Ryne Stanek (0-0, 1.46 ERA), who has 13 strikeouts and three walks as well as a WHIP of 0.89. Stanek only made one start against the Royals in 2018 (0-0, 0.00 ERA and two strikeouts across three innings).
Kansas City’s pitching staff allowed 5.4 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 5.08 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 8.21 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 6.04, along with a WHIP of 1.35.
The Royals offense has slashed .238/.316/.425 on its way to 4.4 runs scored per game in 2019, including 4.0 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 3.8 per game over the team’s last five outings (1-4 SU).
Kansas City’s hitters have been led by second baseman Whit Merrifield and outfielder Alex Gordon. Merrifield is hitting .299/.330/.474 with three home runs, 10 RBIs, 16 runs and five steals, while Gordon (.313/.392/.602) has produced five homers, 21 RBIs and 15 runs scored.
In the other dugout, Tampa Bay’s pitchers have allowed 3.0 runs per game overall in 2019. Its starters have an ERA of 2.06, a WHIP of 0.87 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 10.3. The bullpen has a 3.71 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 9.4 K/9.
Tampa Bay’s hitters have put up 4.9 runs per contest, including 5.5 per game over its last 10 games and 4.6 per game over their last five. The team has slashed .240/.314/.491 over its last five contests and is 1-4 SU during that stretch.
Austin Meadows and Tommy Pham have led the Rays’ batters this year. Meadows is hitting .351/.422/.676 with six home runs, 19 RBIs and 11 runs scored, and Pham’s line is .302/.408/.465 with four homers, 10 RBIs, 12 runs and six steals.
The Royals have lost 3.0 units and are 9-7 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in 10 of those games, compared to six that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Rays have netted 0.8 units and are 10-6 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in eight of those games, compared to seven which went under the total.
Royals at Rays MLB Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Rays, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The under has cashed in five of Kansas City’s last seven games.
- The Kansas City defense has allowed three errors over the last five games, compared to zero errors for Tampa Bay over its last five.
- The Royals have hit 17 home runs in their last 10 games, including nine over their last five.
- The Royals have a team OPS of .741 this season and an OPS of .786 against right-handed pitchers. The Rays’ OPS stands at .803 overall and .820 against righties.
