The Kansas City Royals will face off against the Tampa Bay Rays at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. This AL matchup can be viewed across the country on ESPN and the game gets underway 7:05 p.m. ET.
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Kansas City Royals Odds
Oddsmakers are listing Tampa Bay (-110) as the favorite over Kansas City (+100). The total stands at 9.5 runs and bettors can wager on the over for -120 or the under for +100. Bettors can also wager on the game’s runline with the odds sitting at +135 for the Rays -1.5 runs and -155 for the Royals +1.5.
The Rays are 16-22 SU and are 19-18 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 5.7 units for moneyline gamblers in this young season, despite having gained 0.7 units ATS. The Royals, on the other hand, are 13-27 SU and 17-22 ATS. They’ve lost 9.8 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 8.4 units ATS.
Kansas City games have had an over/under record of 15-22-2 so far in 2018. Tampa Bay has an over/under record of 19-16-2.
The southpaw Ryan Yarbrough is projected to start for the visiting Rays. Yarbrough is 2-2 with a 4.30 ERA and 27 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Royals this year and did not record a start against them in 2017, either.
The Royals are sending lefty Eric Skoglund (1-2, 6.34 ERA) to the mound. Skoglund has 28 strikeouts and 10 walks to his name, as well as a WHIP of 1.32. Skoglund did not record a start against the Rays in 2017.
Kansas City’s pitching staff has given up 5.8 runs per game overall in 2018 as a unit. The club’s starters have a 5.43 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 7.3 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 5.76 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and 6.2 K/9.
The Kansas City hitters are putting up 4.1 runs per contest, including 5.8 per game over its last 10 games and 4.6 per game over their last five. The team has hit .278/.326/.406 over its last five games and is 1-4 SU during that stretch.
The Royals’ hitters have been led by Jorge Soler, who is slashing .323/.423/.531 with five home runs, 18 RBIs and 19 runs scored. Soler performed well at home in 2017, slashing .213/.302/.404 across 53 plate appearances (compared to his overall season line of .144/.245/.258).
In the visiting dugout, Tampa Bay’s pitching staff allowed 4.9 runs per game and its starters own a 4.52 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 8.28 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 4.93, along with a WHIP of 1.23 and a K/9 of 8.69.
The Rays offense has slashed .262/.335/.399 on its way to 4.3 runs scored per game in 2018, including 3.4 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).
Tampa Bay’s hitters have been led by Daniel Robertson, who is slashing .279/.436/.453 with 24 hits, nine RBIs and 16 runs scored.
The Rays just dropped a 17-1 game to the Orioles, while the Royals are coming off of an 11-2 loss against the Indians.
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Kansas City Royals MLB Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Royals, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – OVER
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Notes
Betting Trends
The under has cashed in four of Tampa Bay’s last seven games.
The Rays have hit six home runs in their last 10 games. The Royals have hit 12 over their last 10.
Tampa Bay has recorded 20.4 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 23.2 over its last five.
The Royals have lost four of their last five games SU.
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