Kansas City Royals vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction & Betting Tips 7/3/2024

Kansas City Royals vs Tampa Bay Rays Preview

At 8:10 PM ET, the Rays and Royals face off in an AL matchup. This one is being played at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO, and the Rays are favored on the money line (-111). The Royals have won three straight and are 47-40 overall, while the Rays have won two in a row and are 43-42.

The over/under line is currently at 8.5 runs, and the forecast calls for cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid-70s. Ryan Pepiot is starting for the Rays, and he is facing off against Michael Wacha for the Royals. Wacha has a 5.23 ERA this season.

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Kansas City Royals Trends and Key Stats

• The Rays are 4-1 across their last five road games. They have gone 4-1 vs. the runline.
• On the opposing side, the Royals have a 1-4 (SU) record, along with a 0-5 record in their last five home contests.
• In their previous ten games, the Rays have recorded a 8-2 record as the favorite, while they have a 7-3 record as the underdog.
• In their last ten games, the Royals have a record of 5-5 as the favorite and 4-6 as the underdog.

Tampa Bay cruised to a 5-1 win over the Royals in the most recent game of this series. The Rays had a huge 7th inning, scoring two runs in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd innings, and adding their final run in the 9th. As for the Royals, they scored their only run in the 6th.

Zack Littell started for the Rays and picked up the win, going five innings and not giving up a run. He finished the game with just four strikeouts but didn’t issue a walk. On the other side, Brady Singer got the start for the Royals and took the loss, giving up one earned run in five innings of work.

Brandon Lowe and Richie Palacios each homered for the Rays, while Isaac Paredes scored twice and drove in two runs while going 1/4. Bobby Witt Jr. hit the game’s other home run for the Royals, going 1/4.

Kansas City Royals vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction

The Rays are 43-42 overall, and they have won two straight games, and they are 11 games behind the Orioles in the AL East. So far, they have gone just 10-17 in AL East games. Tampa Bay took the first game of this series vs. the Royals and have won four straight series.

At home, the Rays are 23-25 this year, and they are 20-17 on the road. As the favorite, the Rays are 25-22 and 18-20 as the underdog. Tampa Bay’s overall series record is 14-11-2 this year.

Despite an overall run differential of -0.6 runs per game, the Rays have been a profitable run-line team this season at 39-46. They have been especially good on the road, where they are 23-14 against the run line. They have covered the run line in eight straight road games and have a scoring margin of -0.4 runs per game away from home.

The Tampa Bay Rays are on the road today against the Kansas City Royals. The Over/Under line for the game is set at 8.5 runs. The combined run average for Rays games this season is 8.7 runs. Overall, the Over/Under record for Rays games this season is 42-39. When the Over/Under line is set at 8.5 runs, the record is 12-13. This season, 58.8% of Rays games have had lower Over/Under lines than 8.5 runs.

Ryan Pepiot gets the start for the Rays today as he faces the Royals on the road. He has made 14 starts this year and has a record of 4-4 with an ERA of 4.39. Pepiot’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.09. In his last outing, the right-hander finished with a no-decision, going 5 1/3 innings and giving up one earned run on two hits. He pitched well in that outing, recording eight strikeouts. Pepiot has a total of five quality starts this year and is averaging 10.42 strikeouts per nine innings.

Isaac Paredes has been a big power threat for the Rays this season, as his 13 home runs are the most on the team and 14th most in the league. He is also batting a solid .276 and has driven in 45 runs, which is the best mark on the team. However, Paredes has gone just 6/29 in his last eight games. Yandy Diaz has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 11/35 in his last eight games. For the season, he is batting .270 with seven homers.

As a team, the Rays are batting just .236 and are averaging only 4 runs per game. They have been a little better on the road, averaging 4.3 runs per contest. Tampa Bay’s team home run total of 77 is 20th in the league.

Kansas City comes into today’s game vs. the Rays with an overall record of 47-40, which has them 3rd in the AL Central. Currently, they trail the Guardians by eight games for the top spot in the division. So far, they have been good against other teams in the AL Central, putting up a mark of 16-10.

The Royals have been good at home this year, coming in with a mark of 30-17, but they are just 17-23 on the road. So far, they have been really good as the favorite, going 24-13, and they are 23-27 as the underdog. Kansas City has won two straight series and has an overall series record of 13-13-1 this year.

When the Royals win, they win big, with an average run margin of 3.7 runs per game. That’s helped them to a 49-38 run line record this season, including a 28-19 mark at home. They’ve been a good bet as the underdog, going 30-20 against the run line in those games.

The Kansas City Royals are playing at home against the Tampa Bay Rays today, with the Over/Under line set at 8.5 runs. The combined run average for Royals games this season is 8.4 runs per game, and their Over/Under record is 36-48. When the O/U line is set at 8.5 runs, the Royals have gone 8-17 on the Over/Under this season. Overall, 25.3% of their games have had O/U lines set at 8.5 runs or higher, and their current Under streak is at 2 games.

Right-hander Michael Wacha gets the start for the Royals today as he faces off against the Rays. Wacha has made 14 starts this season and has a record of 4-6 with a 3.91 ERA. So far, he has turned in six quality starts and is averaging 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings. Wacha’s last outing came on June 27th vs. the Guardians, where he finished with a no-decision after giving up one earned run in 5 1/3 innings of work. Before that, he had given up at least two earned runs in three straight outings. The right-hander has allowed a home run in three of his last four trips to the mound.

Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. have been the Royals’ top power threats this season, as Perez’s 14 homers are 13th in the league, and Witt Jr. is right behind him with 13. Witt Jr. has also been the team’s top hitter so far, batting .311, while Perez is hitting .278. Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino are both on 9-game hitting streaks, with Pasquantino batting .289 over his last 10 games.

Overall, the Royals are averaging 4.5 runs per game, which is 13th in the league. At home, they are averaging 5.1 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .244, and their team on-base percentage of .306 is also 15th in the league. So far, they have been one of the best teams in terms of avoiding strikeouts.

Getting the Royals at -107 on the money line is a great value, and it’s our recommended pick for this Rays vs. Royals matchup. Our predicted final score is 6-5 in favor of the Royals, giving us some room to take the Royals on the run line if you prefer.

Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Michael Wacha finishing with four strikeouts compared to Ryan Pepiot with just four as well. However, we have Wacha finishing with a better ERA than Pepiot, and we have him finishing with a better chance to pick up the win.

Kansas City Royals vs Tampa Bay Rays Betting Tips

• We like the Royals on the moneyline (-107)
• The Royals should also cover at +1.5
• Projecting a combined 11 runs, we like the over

Kansas City Royals Injury Report

Tampa Bay Rays Injury Report