The Kansas City Royals (42-36) travel to face off against the Texas Rangers (36-40) on Sunday, June 23rd. This game will be played at Globe Life Field in Arlington and televised on BSKC. The Rangers are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Royals are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Rangers. First pitch is set for 1:35  CT.

Royals vs Rangers

Thanks to a five-run 8th inning for the Rangers’ offense, they cruised to a 6-0 win over the Royals in the most recent game of this series. Heading into the game, the Rangers were favored at -145 on the money line.

The starting pitching matchup for this game featured Michael Wacha for the Royals, and he went just five innings while giving up one run and took the loss. Jon Gray put together a good outing for the Rangers, getting the win after going six innings and not giving up a run.

Texas got a huge performance from Wyatt Langford, as he went 2/4 with a home run and four RBIs. Both Josh Smith and Adolis Garcia each drove in two for the Rangers’ offense.

The Royals are 42-36 overall and trail the Guardians by eight games in the AL Central. They have dropped two straight games, and this came after taking two of three from the Red Sox. So far, they have gone 13-9 in divisional games. Kansas City is closing out a series vs. the Rangers, and they have lost the first two games of the series.

At home, the Royals have been good, going 25-14 this year. On the road, they are just under .500 at 17-22. As the underdog, the Royals are 22-25 this year, and they have dropped three straight as the underdog overall. Kansas City’s record as the favorite is 20-11, and their overall series record is 11-12-1 this year. Looking at their overall record, they are 3-7 over their last 10 games.

The Royals have a run line record of 44-34 this season, including a 23-16 mark at home. Their average run margin is +0.6 runs per game, with a scoring margin of +1.1 at home and +0.1 on the road. They are 21-18 against the run line on the road, but have failed to cover in their last six road games. As an underdog, they are 29-18 against the run line, but as a favorite, they are just 15-16.

When the Kansas City Royals are on the road, the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs. The Royals and their opponents have combined to average 8.7 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 34-41. The average over/under line for their games is 8 runs, but when the line is set at 8.5 runs, the over/under record is 8-15. So far this season, 17 of their games have had over/under lines set at 8.5 runs, accounting for 21.8% of their games.

Alec Marsh Gets The Start For The Royals

The Royals are sending right-hander Alec Marsh to the mound today as he faces the Rangers on the road. Marsh has made 13 starts this season and has a record of 5-4 with an ERA of 4.37. In his 13 appearances, he has turned in three quality starts. Looking back at his most recent outing, Marsh took the loss, giving up seven earned runs in three innings of work. Before that, he had pitched at least five innings in three straight outings. Marsh’s ERA on the road is 6.57 compared to 3.78 at home.

Royals Offense Breakdown

As a team, the Royals are averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 10th in the league. This number jumps to 5.4 runs per game when they are at home. Overall, they are batting .246, which is 10th in the league, and have the 12th best on-base percentage in the league. So far, they have done a good job of avoiding strikeouts, as their 7 strikeouts per game is the 4th best mark in the MLB.

Bobby Witt Jr. has been the Royals’ top hitter this season, as he is batting .314 with 12 homers and 53 RBIs, which is 8th best in the league. Salvador Perez is also near the top of the MLB in home runs, as his 11 homers is 14th best in the league. Over his last eight games, MJ Melendez is batting .348 with four RBIs, while Freddy Fermin has gone deep twice in his last seven games.

Texas is 36-40 overall and is 3rd in the AL West, trailing the Mariners by 7.5 games. The Rangers have won three straight games, and they are 5-5 over their last 10. In the AL West, they are 9-14 against other teams in the division.

At home, the Rangers are 19-19 this year and 17-21 on the road. As the favorite, Texas is 22-19 and 14-21 as the underdog. The Rangers have won three straight games at home, and their overall series record is 10-13-1. Currently, they have lost two straight series.

When the Rangers are favored, they are just 16-25 vs. the run line, but they are 19-16 when they are the underdog. They have covered the run line in four straight games at home and are 18-20 overall at home vs. the run line. Their average run margin in winning games is +4.0, while it is -3.7 in losing games.

When the Texas Rangers play at home, the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs. The Rangers have played in 27 games this season where the over/under line was set at 8.5 runs, and their record in those games is 9-17. Overall, the Rangers’ games have averaged 8.6 runs per game, and their over/under record for the season is 28-45.

Max Scherzer Gets The Start For The Rangers

Max Scherzer is coming off a season in which he made 27 starts and went 13-6. His ERA for the season was 3.77, and he finished with a WHIP of 1.12. Scherzer’s batting average allowed was .218, and he gave up a total of 28 home runs. The right-hander’s strikeout-to-walk ratio for the season was 3.9, and he averaged 1.7 walks per game.

Rangers Offense Breakdown

Josh Smith and Wyatt Langford have been swinging the bat well for the Rangers of late, with Smith hitting .476 over his last eight games and Langford at .361 over his last 10. Both players also have two homers during their recent hot streaks. Langford also has a four-game hitting streak. Smith has scored four runs and driven in six over his last eight games, while Langford has 13 RBIs in his last 10 games.

As a team, the Rangers are averaging 4.3 runs per game and have been a better offensive team on the road (4.5 RPG) compared to at home (4.1 RPG). They have the league’s 16th ranked home run total and are batting .237 as a team. Marcus Semien and Corey Seager are both batting .252 for the season, with Seager leading the team with 14 homers. Adolis Garcia is 2nd on the team in homers (13) but has a batting average of just .213.

Royals vs Rangers Prediction

Our predicted final score for this one is 5-4 in favor of the Royals. With the Royals on the money line at +129, we see this as a great value pick. We actually have the Rangers finishing with fewer hits, home runs, and strikeouts than the Royals.

Looking at Alec Marsh, we actually have him finishing with the fifth-fewest earned runs among starters today. We also have his strikeout total at seven, which would have him as the fourth-best starter in terms of K’s.

All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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