The Texas Rangers (17-16) travel to face off against the Kansas City Royals (20-13) on Saturday, May 4th. This game will be played at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City and televised on BSKC. The Royals are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Rangers are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Royals. First pitch is set for 7:10 ET.
Rangers vs Royals
Thanks to a seven-run 7th inning for the Royals’ offense, they cruised to a 7-1 win over the Rangers in the most recent game of this series. Heading into the game, the Royals were favored at -118 on the money line.
The starting pitching matchup for this game featured Michael Lorenzen for the Rangers, and he went just six innings while giving up one run and took the loss. Brady Singer put together a good outing for the Royals, getting the win after going six innings and giving up one earned run.
Kansas City got a huge performance from Salvador Perez, as he went 1/4 with a home run and three RBIs. Hunter Renfroe also went deep for the Royals’ offense.
Texas is on the road today vs. the Royals, and they are 17-16 overall, putting them just a half-game behind the Mariners for the AL West lead. So far, they are just 5-8 in divisional games. The Rangers have won two straight series and have an overall series record of 5-4-1.
At home, the Rangers have gone 10-9 this year compared to 7-7 on the road. Texas is just one game above .500 as the favorite this year, where they are 9-8. As for their record as the underdog, the Rangers are 8-8 this year. They have gone 5-5 in their last 10 games overall.
As a road team, the Texas Rangers have been a solid bet against the run line this season, going 15-18 overall. They have been especially good as the underdog, going 9-7 against the run line in those games. Their average run margin in winning games is +3.8, while their average run margin in losing games is -3.2.
The Texas Rangers have had 19 games this season with over/under lines higher than 8.5 runs, and the over/under record for the season is 13-19. The over/under line for today’s game against the Kansas City Royals is set at 8.5 runs, and the combined run average for Rangers games this season is also 8.5 runs. The under has hit in three straight Rangers games, and the over/under record for the season when the line is set at 8.5 runs is 3-6.
Dane Dunning Gets The Start For The Rangers
Texas is sending right-hander Dane Dunning to the mound today vs. the Royals. He has made six starts this year and has a record of 3-2 with a 4.13 ERA. Dunning’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.16. In his last outing, he picked up the win, going 5 1/3 innings and giving up one earned run on three hits. Dunning finished with 10 strikeouts in that outing. One of his best starts of the year came on April 12th vs. the Astros, where he went five innings, giving up one earned run and picking up the win. So far, he has made two quality starts.
Rangers Offense Breakdown
Adolis Garcia has been one of the league’s top power threats this season, as his eight home runs are 3rd best in the league and the top mark on the Rangers. He has also been a solid contact hitter, batting .291 for the season. Garcia has gone 5/17 in his last five games, including one home run. Marcus Semien also has a strong season going, as he is batting .255 with five homers and 21 RBIs.
As a team, the Rangers are 17th in the league in runs scored, averaging 4.4 runs per game. This is the 7th best team batting average in the league. They have been pretty good at drawing walks this season and are near the top of the league in terms of slugging percentage and OPS.
Kansas City is hosting the Rangers today with an overall record of 20-13, which has them 2nd in the AL Central. They are just a half-game behind the Guardians for the division lead. The Royals have put together a three-game winning streak, and they are 7-3 over their last 10 games.
At home, the Royals have been good this year, going 13-5 compared to 7-8 on the road. As the home underdog, the Royals have gone 8-4 this year, and they are 13-10 as the underdog overall. Kansas City has won four straight at home, and they are 5-5 in series this year.
When the Royals win, they win big, averaging a run differential of +4.4 runs per game. They are 22-11 against the run line this season, including a 12-6 mark at home. As an underdog, they are 16-7 against the run line, and they have covered the run line in each of their last four home games.
When the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers meet today, the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs. The Royals’ games have averaged 7.7 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 10-21. So far this season, 24.2% of their games have had higher over/under lines than 8.5 runs. In their last three games, the under has hit each time.
Michael Wacha Gets The Start For The Royals
Michael Wacha gets the start for the Royals today as he faces off against the Rangers at home. So far this season, he has made six starts and has a record of 1-3 with an ERA of 4.24. Wacha’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.32, and opponents are batting .275 off the right-hander this year. In his last outing, Wacha took the loss, giving up four earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work. Before that, he had given up two earned runs or fewer in three straight outings. Wacha has made two starts at home, where he is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA.
Royals Offense Breakdown
As a team, the Royals are batting .239 this season, which is 12th in the league. They are also 8th in the league in isolated power and have the 10th ranked scoring offense in the league, averaging 4.7 runs per game. At home, they have been even better, averaging 5.3 runs per contest. The Royals are also one of the best teams in the league at avoiding strikeouts.
Salvador Perez comes into the game with a four-game hitting streak and is batting .351 for the season with a team-high eight home runs. Bobby Witt Jr. has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 9/24 in his last six games. Witt Jr. is batting .318 for the season and has four homers.
Rangers vs Royals Prediction
There are a couple of ways to play this one, but we are going to stick with the money line and have the Royals picking up a win at home. The payout is at -105, and we have the Royals winning this one by a final of 6-5.
If you’re looking for a prediction on the starting pitchers, we have Michael Wacha picking up the win. However, if you’re looking at Dane Dunning, he is projected to finish with five strikeouts, and the Rangers finishing with eight as a team.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:May 4, 2024 Rangers, Royals