Elvis Andrus and the struggling Texas Rangers will pay a visit to Kansas City to face off against the Royals at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. Fox Sports Kansas City will be airing this AL matchup and the game gets underway at 8:15 p.m. ET.
Texas Rangers vs. Kansas City Royals Odds
Sportsbooks have Kansas City (-135) as the favorite over Texas (+125). You can play matchup’s total with current odds listed at -115 for over 9.5 runs and -105 for under 9.5. This game currently has a runline of Rangers +1.5 (-170) and Royals -1.5 (+150).
The Rangers have gone 17-21 SU this year and are 21-17 against the spread (ATS). They’ve accumulated 1.5 units for moneyline bettors through the early portions of the season and 0.3 units ATS. The Royals, on the other hand, are 14-27 SU and 20-21 ATS. The team’s lost 8.3 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 5.8 units ATS.
Royals games have an over/under record of 22-17-2 so far in 2019. Texas has been a decent over bet with a total record of 23-14-1.
Shelby Miller will get the nod for the visiting Rangers. The right-handed Miller (1-2, 7.48 ERA) has recorded 19 strikeouts in 27.2 innings so far. He has yet to face the Royals this year and did not record a start against them in 2018, either.
The Royals are turning to lefty Danny Duffy (1-1, 3.06 ERA), who has 12 punchouts and seven walks as well as a 1.36 WHIP. Duffy only made one start against the Rangers in 2018 (1-0, 1.17 ERA and five strikeouts across seven and 2-third innings).
Texas’ pitchers have allowed 5.7 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 5.63 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 8.10 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 5.08, along with a K/9 of 7.42.
The Rangers offense has slashed .245/.331/.443 on its way to 5.6 runs scored per game in 2019, including 4.7 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 4.0 per game over the team’s last five contests (1-4 SU).
Texas’ hitters have been led by Elvis Andrus and Shin-soo Choo. Andrus is hitting .327/.376/.516 with six home runs, 25 RBIs, 24 runs and eight stolen bases. Choo (.295/.391/.489) has produced four homers, 14 RBIs and 24 runs scored.
In the home-team dugout, Kansas City’s pitchers have allowed 5.0 runs per game overall this year. The team’s starters have a 5.20 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.70 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 8.6 K/9.
The Kansas City offense has produced 4.5 runs per contest, including 4.3 per game over its last 10 games and 3.6 per game over its last five. The team has hit .210/.289/.377 over its last five contests and is 2-3 SU during that span.
The Royals’ offense has been led by second baseman Whit Merrifield and shortstop Adalberto Mondesi. Merrifield is hitting .286/.342/.512 with six home runs, 19 RBIs, 30 runs and seven stolen bases, and Mondesi’s line sits at .270/.305/.497 with five homers, 33 RBIs, 24 runs and 13 steals.
The Rangers have lost 1.1 units and are 6-4 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has hit in six of those games, compared to three that’ve hit the under in such games. On the other hand, the Royals have lost 5.2 units and are 14-16 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in 17 of those games, compared to 12 that’ve gone under.
Rangers vs. Royals MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Royals, ATS Winner – Rangers, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The under has hit in four of Kansas City’s last seven games.
- The Rangers have lost five of their last six games SU while the Royals have lost three of their last four.
- The Texas defense has permitted six errors over the last five contests, compared to just two errors for Kansas City over its last five.
- The Rangers have hit 15 home runs in their last 10 games, including eight over their last five.
- The Rangers have a team OPS of .774 this season and an OPS of .703 against left-handed pitchers. The Royals’ OPS sits at .740 overall and .671 against lefties.
