Kansas City Royals vs Texas Rangers Betting Pick & Prediction 6/22/24
At 4:05 PM ET, the Royals and Rangers face off in an AL matchup. This one is being played at Globe Life Field in Arlington and has the Rangers as the betting favorite, with their money line odds sitting at -134. The money line odds for a Royals win are currently at +112, and they are 2nd in the AL Central with a record of 42-35. The Rangers are 3rd in the AL West at 35-40.
MLBN will be televising Saturday’s matchup, and the over/under line is currently at 8.5 runs. Michael Wacha is starting for the Royals, while Jon Gray goes for the Rangers. Texas comes in on a two-game winning streak.
KANSAS CITY ROYALS VS TEXAS RANGERS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Kansas City Royals Moneyline +112
This game will be played at Globe Life Field at 4:05 ET on Saturday, June 22nd.
HOW TO BET THE ROYALS VS RANGERS:
- We have the Royals winning by a score of 5 to 4
- If you’re looking for a run line pick, we also like the Royals to cover
- As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the over
Thanks to a five-run 6th inning for the Rangers’ offense, they cruised to a 6-2 win over the Royals in the most recent game of this series. Heading into the game, the Rangers were favored at -148 on the money line.
The starting pitching matchup for this game featured Nathan Eovaldi for the Rangers, and he went six innings while giving up two earned runs and picked up a win. Brady Singer got the start for the Royals, going five innings and giving up one earned run.
Kyle Isbel hit the game’s only home run while going 1/1 with three RBIs, but it came in a losing effort. Nathaniel Lowe did a bit of everything for the Rangers, going 3/4 with a run scored and an RBI.
Royals Records & Stats
Kansas City is 42-35 overall and trails the Guardians by seven games in the AL Central. The Royals are 13-9 against other teams in the division. The Royals dropped the first game of their series vs. the Rangers and have lost three straight series overall.
At home, the Royals have gone 25-14 this year, and they are just below .500 at 17-21 on the road. So far, they have been good as the favorite, going 20-11, and they are 22-24 as the underdog. As the road underdog, the Royals have a record of 10-15 this year.
When the Royals are on the road, they have been a solid bet to cover the run line, going 21-17. Their average run margin in those games is +0.2. They have been an underdog in most of those games, going 29-17. Their average run margin in those games is +0.7.
The Kansas City Royals have been involved in games with an average of 8.7 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 34-40. When the over/under line has been set at 8.5 runs, their record is 8-15. Overall, 22.1% of their games have had over/under lines set at 8.5 runs.
Kansas City is sending Michael Wacha to the mound today vs. the Rangers. He has made 12 starts this season and has a record of 4-5 with an ERA of 4.24. Wacha’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.25. In his last outing, he finished with a no-decision, going 5 1/3 innings vs. the Padres and giving up two earned runs. Before that, he had picked up the win in two straight outings. Wacha has made six quality starts this year and is averaging 7.41 strikeouts per nine innings.
So far this season, the Royals are averaging 4.7 runs per game, which is good for 9th in the league. At home, they have been even better, averaging 5.4 runs per game. Overall, they are batting .247 as a team, and their team on-base percentage of .310 is 13th in the MLB. The Royals have been tough to strike out this season, averaging just 7 Ks per game.
Bobby Witt Jr. has been one of the best hitters in the league so far this season, as his 53 RBIs are 9th in the league, and he is also batting .318. He has been hot of late, going 13/41 in his last 10 games. Salvador Perez is also a big power threat in the lineup, as he is 2nd on the team with 11 homers and is batting .286.
Rangers Records & Stats
Texas is 35-40 overall and trails the Mariners by 7.5 games in the AL West. The Rangers are also 3rd in the AL West, a half-game behind the Astros for 2nd place. So far, they are just 9-14 in AL West matchups this year. The Rangers have won two straight games, and they are 4-6 over their last 10 contests.
At home, the Rangers are 18-19 this season compared to a 17-21 mark on the road. As the favorite, Texas is 21-19 this year and 14-21 as the underdog. Texas has won two straight games at home, and their overall series record is 10-13-1. The Rangers have dropped two straight series and are 3rd in the AL West.
When betting the run line with the Rangers, it’s best to take them as the underdog. They are 19-16 against the run line in those games. Their average run differential in losses is -3.7, which is the second-highest in the league.
When the Texas Rangers are at home, they have played in 27 games with O/U lines set higher than 8.5 runs, which is 36.0% of their games. In those games, the O/U record is 9-17. The average combined run average in their games is 8.7 runs per game. Overall, the Rangers have an O/U record of 28-44 this season.
Jon Gray will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Mets, as he gets the start for the Rangers today. In that June 17th start, he took the loss, giving up 9 earned runs in just 3 innings of work. Looking at his overall numbers, Gray has made 12 starts, has a record of 2-3, and his ERA is 3.31. Opponents are batting .254 off Gray this season. The right-hander has made five quality starts and is averaging 8.95 strikeouts per nine innings. Gray has allowed a total of five homers this year.
Currently, the Rangers are 17th in the league in runs scored at 4.3 runs per game. This is a bit below their season average of 4.5 runs per game on the road. As a team, the Rangers are batting .237, which is 13th in the league, and they are also one of the better teams in the league at avoiding strikeouts.
Adolis Garcia and Corey Seager are the Rangers’ top home run hitters this season, with 13 and 14 homers, respectively. Seager is also batting .252 for the season, and Garcia comes in with a batting average of just .212. Marcus Semien has been the team’s top run producer, with 43 RBIs, and he is also batting .252.