Yordano Ventura (3-4, 4.26 ERA) and Wandy Rodriguez (2-2, 3.55 ERA) are on the hill in the second of a three-game series between the Kansas City Royals (30-22) and the Texas Rangers (29-26) at Kauffman Stadium. The Rangers won the last game 4-0 and Texas leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 2:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jun. 6 and can be seen on FS1 and FSN-KC.
Ventura pitched 7.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering one run, striking out six and walking one in a 2-1 defeat to the Cubs. Eric Hosmer (.301, 31 Rs, 7 HRs, 33 RBIs, 3 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday. Rodriguez is 0-2 with a 4.15 ERA when pitching against the Royals. He is up against a quality Kansas City offense which is hitting .271 this season. Delino DeShields Jr. (.289, 26 Rs, 11 RBIs, 13 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run.
Kansas City is a -163 favorite against Texas and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at eight runs. The Royals have an overall money line of +830 and a record as the favorite of 16-11. The Royals have seen a decline in scoring as of late, averaging 2.4 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 4.5 runs per game. The Royals have no trouble scoring as they rank third in the AL in offense with 4.5 runs per game. The Royals lead the AL in hits with a phenomenal 9.3 per game. Kansas City strikes out the least of any team in the AL, with only 6.0 per game. Kansas City’s pitching staff has been doing poorly against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, allowing an average of 4.7 runs per game, well above its season average of 3.6. The Royals are the top team in the AL at limiting hits during home games, allowing only 7.3 hits per contest to their opponents this season.
In games where it is the underdog, Texas has a 25-23 record and an overall money line of +1,069. The Rangers have a dynamic offense, ranking fifth in the league with 165 extra base hits.
The Rangers lead the season series, 3-2. The Royals have a 10-6 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Rodriguez takes the mound. Ventura (RHP) will be on the hill against the Rangers, who have a 19-15 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – KC, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Kansas City is 13-7, while Texas is 12-14.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Royals are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Rangers have a 2-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
It looks like the Rangers have a slight leg up on the Royals, as the Rangers have won their last two games while the Royals have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Royals are 26-4. The Rangers have a 22-3 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 15th, Kansas City is in the top half of the league in runs, scoring 231 this season. Texas ranks in the top five at second with 256.
Ranking 30th, Kansas City is at the bottom of the league in walks, notching 111 this season. Texas ranks in the top half at 12th with 174.
When the Royals hit at least one home run, they are 19-9, well-matched with the Rangers who are 22-12 when hitting one or more homers.
