The Kansas City Royals (32-19) travel to face off against the Tampa Bay Rays (25-26) on Friday, May 24th. This game will be played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg and televised on BSSUN. 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 Red Sox. First pitch is set for 6:50 ET.
Royals vs Rays
To close out their series vs. the Tigers, the Royals picked up an 8-3 win. Leading up to the game, they were the slight favorite at -103 on the money line. It was a big 2nd inning that really turned things in their favor, and the Tigers could only score three runs, all of which came in the 7th.
Cole Ragans put together a good start for the Royals, going six innings and not giving up a run. He also issued just three hits and struck out 12 Tigers batters. Kansas City’s offense was carried by Nelson Velazquez, who went 1/2 with a homer and three RBIs.
Kansas City is on a six-game winning streak, and they are 32-19 overall this season. The Royals are 2nd in the AL Central, 1.5 games behind the Guardians for the division lead. So far, they have gone 11-5 in divisional games.
At home, the Royals have been strong, putting together a record of 21-8 this season. They are just above .500 on the road, coming in with an 11-11 mark. As the favorite, the Royals are 16-6 this year, and they are 16-13 when the underdog. Kansas City’s overall series record is 9-7, and they have won two straight series.
When the Royals win, they do so by an average of 4.0 runs per game, and they are 33-18 against the run line this season. They are 20-9 against the run line at home and 13-9 on the road. Kansas City has covered the run line in five straight games and is 13-9 against the run line as the favorite and 20-9 as the underdog.
The Kansas City Royals are on the road to face the Tampa Bay Rays, and the over/under line for today’s game is set at 8 runs. The combined run average for Royals games this season is 8.3, and their over/under record is 20-29. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, the Royals have a record of 5-4-1. Overall, 62.7% of their games this season have had over/under lines set above 8 runs, and their current over streak is at 4 games.
Seth Lugo Gets The Start For The Royals
Seth Lugo 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 7-1. Lugo’s ERA is an impressive 1.79, and he has a WHIP of .98. In his 10 starts, Lugo has turned in eight quality starts and is coming off an outing where he gave up just two earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work. Lugo has been especially tough on the road, coming in with a record of 4-0 and an ERA of 0.6. His ERA at home is 2.83.
Royals Offense Breakdown
Salvador Perez has been the Royals’ top hitter this season, batting .337 with a team-high nine home runs. His 39 RBIs is also the best mark on the team and 6th in the league. Perez has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 11/27 in his last seven games. Bobby Witt Jr. has also been on a tear of late, going 10/27 in his last seven games with two homers.
As a team, the Royals are 7th in the league in scoring at 4.8 runs per game. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.5 runs per game. Overall, they are one of the league’s top home run hitting teams and are batting a collective .250.
The Rays will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Red Sox with an 8-5 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 2nd inning before the Red Sox scored five runs in the top of the 2nd. Tampa Bay was the -144 favorite at home going into the game.
Ryan Pepiot got the start for the Rays and took the loss. He only lasted four innings, giving up three earned runs on two homers. The Rays also used Richard Lovelady out of the bullpen, and he took the loss. Tampa Bay’s offense scored their only five runs in the 2nd inning. Yandy Diaz hit a homer, and the Rays had three other singles in the inning.
The Rays host the Royals today with an overall record of 25-26, putting them 4th in the AL East. Currently, they trail the Yankees by 9.5 games for the AL East lead. Tampa Bay lost all three games of their most recent series vs. the Red Sox and have dropped four straight games overall.
At home, the Rays are 14-15 this year and 11-11 on the road. As the favorite, Tampa Bay has gone 15-18 and 10-8 as the underdog. So far, they have gone 4-3 as the underdog at home. Tampa Bay’s overall series record is 7-7-2, and they have won two straight series on the road and have lost two straight series at home. Their most recent series was vs. the Red Sox.
When the Rays win, they win big, with an average run margin of 2.4 runs per victory. However, when they lose, they lose big, with an average run margin of -3.8 runs per defeat. Overall, the Rays have a run line record of 22-29, with a run line record of 10-19 at home and 12-10 on the road. They have been the favorite in 33 games and the underdog in 18 games.
The Tampa Bay Rays are playing host to the Kansas City Royals today, and the over/under line is set at 8 runs. The combined run average for Rays games this season is 8.8 runs, and their over/under record is 26-24. The average over/under line for their games is 8 runs, and when the line is set at 8 runs, their over/under record is 8-5. So far this season, 49.0% of their games have had over/under lines set at more than 8 runs, while 25.5% have had lines set at less than 8 runs.
Shawn Armstrong Gets The Start For The Rays
Right-hander Shawn Armstrong gets the start for the Rays today as he faces the Royals at home. He has made 18 appearances this season and has a record of 1-1 with an ERA of 4.03. Armstrong’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.34. This year, opponents are batting .233 off Armstrong. He has made three starts and most recently pitched on May 22nd, where he went one inning out of the bullpen, giving up one hit and issuing a walk. Armstrong has not given up a homer in his last three outings.
Rays Offense Breakdown
Isaac Paredes has been one of the few bright spots in the Rays lineup so far, as he is batting .308 for the season and has gone 11/32 in his last nine games. He also has a team-high nine homers and 28 RBIs. Randy Arozarena is 2nd on the team with eight homers but is batting just .162 for the season.
Overall, the Rays offense is 22nd in scoring at 4 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .239 and have the league’s 19th home run total. Tampa Bay is also near the bottom of the league in slugging percentage and OPS.
Royals vs Rays Prediction
Our predicted score for this one is a 6-5 win for the Rays, and with them having a money line of +100, that is the way we recommend playing this one. As for the Royals, they are on the road and have a money line of -119.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Shawn Armstrong finishing with five strikeouts, and for Seth Lugo, he is predicted to finish with just four K’s. As for the offenses, the Rays are actually projected to finish with the most home runs in the league today, and the Royals are 12th.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
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Last updated:May 24, 2024 Rays, Royals