The Tampa Bay Rays (43-42) travel to face off against the Kansas City Royals (47-40) on Wednesday, July 3rd. This game will be played at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City and televised on BSKC. The Rays are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Royals are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Rays. First pitch is set for 7:10 CT.
Rays vs. Royals Betting Prediction
- Money Line Prediction: Royals (-107)
- Over/Under Prediction: Over 8.5 Runs
- In the last 15 games, the Royals have a 7-8 record, while the Rays have a 6-9 record.
- The Royals have scored 5 or more runs in 6 of their last 15 games, compared to the Rays who have done so in only 4 of their last 15 games.
- The Royals have a 5-2 record in their last 7 home games.
- The Royals have won 3 out of their last 4 games against the Rays.
- The Royals have a higher home win percentage (.638) compared to the Rays’ away win percentage (.541).
Rays vs Royals
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 of their five runs and picking up three of their five hits. As for the Royals, they scored their only run in the 4th and finished the game with six hits.
Zack Littell pitched well for the Rays in this one, going five innings and striking out four without giving up a run. He picked up a win in the game, while Brady Singer took the loss for the Royals, going five innings and giving up one earned run.
At the plate, Brandon Lowe and Richie Palacios each homered for the Rays. Lowe, Isaac Paredes, and Austin Meadows each had two RBIs. As for the Royals, Bobby Witt Jr. hit a home run, while MJ Melendez went 3/3.
As underdogs, the Rays have a 18-20 record this season and have an overall run differential of -0.6 runs per game. Against the run line, they are 39-46, including an impressive 23-14 on the road. Tampa Bay has won four straight series and has an overall series record of 14-11-2.
Tampa Bay is 7-3 in their last 10 games and has won two straight. They are 43-42 overall and trail the Orioles by 11 games in the AL East. This season, the Rays have been the favorite in 47 games and have a 25-22 record in those matchups. The over/under record for Rays games with a total of 8.5 runs is 12-13, and their average total line is 8 runs.
Ryan Pepiot Gets The Start For The Rays
Ryan Pepiot gets the start for the Rays today as he faces the Royals on the road. He has made 14 starts this season 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, finishing with eight strikeouts. Pepiot has made five starts on the road and has a record of 3-1 with a 3.91 ERA.
Rays Offense Breakdown
Heading into today’s game, the Rays offense is averaging just 4 runs per game, which is 24th in the league. This is a result of their home and road splits, as they are averaging 4.3 runs per game on the road (15th) and just 3.8 runs per game at home (27th). As a team, they are batting just .236 and are also near the bottom of the league in terms of home runs. Currently, they have the 11th best on-base percentage in the league.
Isaac Paredes and Jose Siri are tied for the team lead in home runs, but both are hitting below .220 for the season. Paredes is batting .276 and has gone deep 13 times, while Siri is hitting just .214. Yandy Diaz has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 11/35 in his last eight games with two homers.
After a loss in the first game of their series against the Rays, the Royals are looking to bounce back and improve their 47-40 overall record. They are currently eight games behind the Guardians in the AL Central. Kansas City has a 16-10 record in divisional matchups this season and have won two straight series.
Against the run line, the Royals have a 49-38 record, including a 30-20 mark as underdogs. Their games have averaged 8.4 runs, and the under has hit in their last two contests. This season, the under has hit in 32% of games with an over/under line of 8.5 runs.
Michael Wacha Gets The Start For The Royals
Right-hander Michael Wacha gets the start for the Royals today as he faces off against the Rays. Wacha has made 14 starts this year and has a record of 4-6 with an ERA of 3.91. So far, he has made six quality starts and is averaging 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings. Wacha’s last outing came on June 27th, where he finished with a no-decision after giving up one earned run in 5 1/3 innings of work. He only allowed two hits in that outing. Before that, he had given up at least one homer in three straight starts.
Royals Offense Breakdown
Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. have been the Royals’ top power threats this season, as Perez has 14 homers and Witt Jr. is right behind him with 13. Witt Jr. is also hitting .311 for the season, and Perez comes into the game with a batting average of .278. Vinnie Pasquantino is also a player to watch, as he has gone deep 10 times this season and has gone 11/38 in his last 10 games.
As a team, the Royals are averaging 4.5 runs per game and have been even better at home, where they are averaging 5.1 runs per contest. Overall, they are 13th in scoring. Kansas City has been one of the top teams in the league at avoiding strikeouts but are just 15th in walks.
Rays vs Royals Prediction
The best way to play today’s Rays vs. Royals matchup is to take the Royals on the money line, with the payout sitting at -107. We have the Royals winning this one by a score of 6-5, giving us a little wiggle room if you wanted to take the over, as the line is set at 8.5 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Michael Wacha finishing with four strikeouts compared to Ryan Pepiot with just four. However, Pepiot is projected to finish with more strikeouts, but we have him finishing with seven.
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:July 3, 2024 Rays, Royals