The Kansas City Royals (34-19) travel to face off against the Tampa Bay Rays (25-28) on Sunday, May 26th. This game will be played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg and televised on BSKC. The Royals are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Rays are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Royals. First pitch is set for 1:40 ET.
Royals vs Rays
Thanks to a three-run 11th inning for the Royals’ offense, they picked up a 7-4 road win over the Rays in the most recent game of this series. Heading into the game, the Royals were favored at -111 on the money line.
Kansas City got on the board first in the 2nd inning, scoring one run on a Brady Singer home run. After that, they didn’t score another run until putting up three in the top of the 11th. As for the Rays, they scored their first run in the 4th and tied the game with one run in the 5th. Tampa Bay’s offense went silent after that until scoring one run in the bottom of the 7th.
Nelson Velazquez led the way for the Royals’ offense, going 2/5 with a home run and two RBIs. Adam Frazier and Maikel Garcia each had two hits and an RBI. Garrett Hampson also had a two-hit game and scored a run for Kansas City.
The Royals have won eight straight games, and they are 34-19 overall this season. Kansas City is 1.5 games behind the Guardians for the AL Central lead, and they lead the division in their overall record vs. other AL Central teams, going 11-5. The Royals have taken two straight games in this series vs. the Rays.
At home, the Royals have been strong, going 21-8 this year. They have also been good on the road, sitting at 13-11. As the underdog on the road, the Royals are 7-8 this year, and they are 18-6 as the favorite overall.
Through their first 53 games of the season, the Kansas City Royals have been a profitable team to back on the run line, going 35-18 overall. They have been especially good at covering the run line at home, going 20-9. Their average run margin on the road is +0.9 runs per game, and they have covered the run line in 15 of their 24 road games. They have covered the run line in two straight games and are 15-9 on the run line as the favorite and 20-9 as the underdog.
The Kansas City Royals are on the road today against the Tampa Bay Rays. The over/under line for the game is set at 7.5 runs. The combined run average in Royals games this season is 8.3 runs per game. The over/under record for the Royals this season is 22-29, and their games have had an average over/under line of 8 runs. When the over/under line has been set at 7.5 runs, the Royals have gone over the total in just 1 of 5 games. Overall, 81.1% of their games this season have had higher over/under lines than 7.5 runs. The Royals are currently on a streak of 6 consecutive overs.
Michael Wacha Gets The Start For The Royals
Michael Wacha gets the start for the Royals today as he faces the Rays on the road. So far this season, he has made 10 starts and has a record of 4-4. Wacha’s ERA is 4.45, along with a WHIP of 1.32. In his 10 appearances, he has turned in five quality starts. Wacha has a BB/9 figure of 2.86 compared to 7.46 strikeouts per nine innings. Looking back at his last outing, Wacha gave up two earned runs in seven innings of work, coming away with the win. He has won his last three starts.
Royals Offense Breakdown
Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. have been two of the Royals’ top hitters this season, with Perez leading the team with a .326 batting average and Witt Jr. not far behind at .304. Perez’s seven home runs are 8th in the league, while Witt Jr. has gone deep eight times, which is 2nd on the team. Witt Jr. has been especially hot of late, going 8/21 in his last five games with three homers and 10 RBIs.
As a team, the Royals are 6th in scoring at 4.9 runs per game. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.5 runs per contest. Overall, they are one of the league’s best hitting teams, with a team batting average of .253. Kansas City also does a good job of putting the ball in play, as they have the league’s 2nd fewest strikeouts.
Tampa Bay is looking to snap a six-game losing streak today, and they are 25-28 overall, putting them 4th in the AL East. Currently, they trail the Yankees by 11.5 games in the division. So far, they have gone 9-11 in AL East matchups.
At home, the Rays are 14-17 this year compared to 11-11 on the road. As the favorite, the Rays are 15-18 and 10-10 as the underdog. Tampa Bay has dropped six straight at home, and they are 7-7-2 in series this year.
When it comes to the run line, the Rays have been a tough team to gauge this season. They are 22-31 overall, but have been better on the road (12-10) than at home (10-21). They have lost six straight run line bets at home and have been favored in three of their last six run line losses. Tampa Bay has been a better run line bet as the underdog this season, going 12-8.
The over/under line for today’s game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Kansas City Royals is set at 7.5 runs. The combined run average for Rays games this season is 8.9 runs per game, and their over/under record is 28-24. When the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs, the over has hit in 9 of their 12 games. Overall, 73.6% of their games have had higher over/under lines than 7.5 runs, and their current over streak is at 3 games.
Taj Bradley Gets The Start For The Rays
Getting the start for the Rays today is Taj Bradley, who will be making his 3rd start of the season. He has a 1-2 record through his first two starts, with his most recent outing being a loss against the Red Sox. Bradley has gone 5 innings in each of his first two starts, and he has 16 strikeouts on the year.
Rays Offense Breakdown
Isaac Paredes has been one of the few bright spots in the Rays lineup this season, as he is batting .300 and is 8th in the league with nine home runs. Paredes has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 9/31 in his last nine games with three runs scored and six RBIs. Randy Arozarena is 2nd on the team with eight homers but is batting just .159 for the season.
As a team, the Rays are averaging just 4 runs per game, which is 24th in the MLB. They are also near the bottom of the league in terms of slugging percentage and OPS. Overall, they are batting .236, which is 13th in the league.
Royals vs Rays Prediction
Our predicted score for this one is 5-4 in favor of the Royals, which is why we recommend taking them on the money line at +105. If you’re looking for a parlay, you could also consider the under, as we have the total runs at 9.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Michael Wacha finishing with five strikeouts and finishing with the seventh-best ERA among today’s starters. As for the Rays, their starter, Taj Bradley, is projected to finish with five K’s and has the fourth-best projected ERA among today’s starters.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
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Last updated:May 26, 2024 Rays, Royals