Colby Lewis (2-2, 2.61 ERA) takes the hill for the Texas Rangers (13-18) as they square off against Danny Duffy (2-1, 4.55 ERA) and the Kansas City Royals (20-11) in the first of a four-game series at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Action begins at 8:05 p.m. ET on Monday, May. 11 and can be seen on FSN-KC and FSN-SW.
Lewis is 1-4 with a 6.35 ERA in his appearances against the Royals, and goes up against a good Kansas City offense which is batting .290 this season. Adrian Beltre (.236, 16 Rs, 3 HRs, 8 RBIs, 1 SB) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run, one home run, and two RBIs. Duffy is 0-0 with a 4.50 ERA against the Rangers in his career. He takes on a below-average Texas offense that’s batting just .224. Eric Hosmer (.320, 19 Rs, 5 HRs, 25 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday.
Kansas City takes on Texas as a -116 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at nine runs. The Rangers have an overall money line of -62 and a record as the underdog of 12-16.
In the other locker room, Kansas City is coming in with an overall money line of +824 and an impressive record of 9-6 as the favorite. They played solid baseball as the favorite over their last 10 games with a 3-1 record, and a 5-5 record SU. Offensively, they average five runs per game on the road, which is second in the AL. The Royals capitalize on their at-bats at a high percentage, leading the league with a .290 team batting average. Kansas City is excellent at not striking out with an AL-low 5.8 per game. Kansas City’s pitching staff is one of the top in the AL, with a 3.35 ERA. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Royals are one of the best in the league with a WHIP of 1.15 for the season.
The Rangers have a bad 1-4 record at home (4-7 overall) against left-handed starting pitchers, which is what they’ll be facing when Duffy takes the mound. Lewis (RHP) will be on the hill against the Royals, who have an 11-7 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – KC, O/U – Over
Notes
Kansas City recorded at least two errors for the fourth time this season.
The Royals are 2-0 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Rangers are 2-1 in such matchups.
The Royals managed to give up six walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Rangers who are heading in with a 1-3 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Rangers and the Royals both have winning records. Texas has a 9-2 record in these situations while Kansas City is 18-4.
Ranking 21st, Texas is near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 120 this season. Kansas City ranks in the top five at second with 156.
Ranking 29th, Kansas City is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 67 this season. Texas ranks in the top half at 11th with 103.
When the Rangers hit at least one home run, they are 9-6, well-matched with the Royals who are 13-6 when hitting one or more homers.
