The Tampa Bay Rays are paying a visit to Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium to take on the Kansas City Royals. Fox Sports Kansas City will showcase this AL matchup and the first pitch is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET.
Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals Odds
Vegas is listing Tampa Bay (-120) as the favorite over Kansas City (+110). Bettors can wager on the game’s total with odds sitting at -110 for over 8.5 runs and -110 for under 8.5. The game’s most recent runline odds sit at +125 for picking the Rays -1.5 runs and -145 for the Royals +1.5.
The Rays are 18-9 SU and have gone 17-9 against the spread (ATS). They’ve accumulated 3.7 units for gamblers taking the moneyline in the season’s early going and 7.9 units ATS. Tampa Bay is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the over has hit in four of those seven. The Royals, on the other hand, are 9-19 SU and 14-13 ATS. They’ve lost 7.0 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 1.9 units ATS. Kansas City has a 3-4 ATS mark over its last seven outings and the total has gone over in five of those seven.
Kansas City games have an over/under record of 16-10-1 so far in 2019. The Rays have an over/under record of 11-14-1.
Ryne Stanek will get the nod for Tampa Bay. The right-handed Stanek is 0-0 with a 1.32 ERA and 13 strikeouts. He’s 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA against Kansas City this year.
The Royals are countering with Brad Keller (2-2, 3.41 ERA). Keller has 29 punchouts and 20 walks, along with a WHIP of 1.24. Keller is 0-1 with three strikeouts and a 7.11 ERA in one start against Tampa Bay this year.
As a unit, Kansas City’s pitchers have allowed 5.3 runs per game overall this season. Its starters have an ERA of 5.34, a WHIP of 1.41 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 7.8. The bullpen has a 5.23 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 8.6 K/9.
Kansas City’s hitters have put up 4.5 runs per outing, including 4.4 per game over its last 10 games and 5.0 per game over their last five. The team has a slash-line of .274/.351/.429 over its last five contests and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.
The Royals’ offense has been led by second baseman Whit Merrifield and left fielder Alex Gordon. Merrifield is slashing .296/.349/.496 with four home runs, 11 RBIs, 21 runs and five steals, and Gordon’s line sits at .310/.408/.560 with five homers, 21 RBIs and 18 runs scored.
In the visiting dugout, Tampa Bay’s pitching staff allowed 3.1 runs per game and its starters own a 2.07 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 10.12 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 3.88, along with a K-per-9 of 9.55.
The Rays offense has slashed .255/.338/.444 on its way to 4.7 runs scored per game in 2019, including 4.5 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 4.0 per game over the team’s last five outings (4-1 SU).
Tampa Bay’s offense has been sparked by Tommy Pham and Austin Meadows, who collectively have launched 10 home runs. Pham is slashing .296/.417/.449 with four home runs, 10 RBIs, 13 runs and six stolen bases, while Meadows is slashing .351/.422/.676 with six homers, 19 RBIs and 11 runs scored.
The Rays have gained 0.6 units and are 12-7 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in 10 of those games, compared to eight that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Royals have lost 3.9 units and are 10-9 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 12 of those games, as opposed to seven which went under the total.
Rays vs. Royals MLB Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Royals, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – UNDER
Betting Trends
- The over has hit in four of Tampa Bay’s last seven contests.
- The Rays have a team OPS of .782 this season and an OPS of .800 against right-handed pitchers. The Royals’ OPS stands at .748 overall and .780 against righties.
- The Rays have won four of their last five games SU.
- Kansas City has recorded 21.2 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 games and 23.4 over its last five.
- The Rays have hit 14 home runs in their last 10 games. The Royals have hit 12 over their last 10.
