Tampa Bay Rays vs Kansas City Royals Betting Pick & Prediction 7/2/24
The forecast from Kansas City on Tuesday calls for scattered clouds and temperatures in the low to mid 90s. The Rays and Royals are set to face off at 8:10 PM ET at Kauffman Stadium, and the money line odds have the Rays at +106 compared to the Royals at -123.
The over/under line is currently at 9.5 runs, and the Rays will be looking for a win to move above .500, as they are 42-42. The Royals are 3rd in the AL Central, with a record of 47-39.
TAMPA BAY RAYS VS KANSAS CITY ROYALS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Tampa Bay Rays Moneyline +106
This game will be played at Kauffman Stadium at 8:10 ET on Tuesday, July 2nd.
HOW TO BET THE RAYS VS ROYALS:
- We have the Rays winning by a score of 5 to 4
- If you’re looking for a run line pick, we also like the Rays to cover
- As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the under
Rays Records & Stats
The Rays’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Nationals, closing out their series with a 5-0 win. After allowing three runs in the top of the first, the Rays responded with three runs of their own. Tampa Bay went on to add another two runs in the 2nd inning.
Starting for the Rays was Taj Bradley, who picked up the win while tossing 5 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball. He also finished with 11 K’s and issued just two walks. Isaac Paredes went 3/4 with a homer and two RBIs.
Tampa Bay is at an even 42-42 overall as they are 4th in the AL East, trailing the Orioles by 11 games. So far, they have gone just 10-17 in AL East games. The Rays have been playing well of late, as they have won seven of their last ten games, and they took their most recent series vs. the Nationals.
As the road team today, the Rays are 19-17 this season compared to 23-25 at home. Tampa Bay has won two straight games as the underdog, and they are 17-20 as the underdog overall. The Rays have been good as the favorite, putting up a mark of 25-22. Their overall series record is 14-11-2, and they have won four straight series overall and two straight on the road.
The Rays have been a profitable team to back on the run line this season, as they are 38-46 overall. They are 22-14 on the run line on the road, and they have covered in seven straight games. They have been a better bet as the underdog, going 21-16 on the run line in those games. They have an average run margin of -0.7 runs per game this season.
Today’s over/under line of 9.5 runs for the Tampa Bay Rays’ road game against the Kansas City Royals is higher than their season average of 8.7 combined runs per game. The Rays have played 80 games with lower over/under lines than 9.5 runs, and their over/under record for the season is 42-38.
Tampa Bay is sending Zack Littell to the mound today, and he comes in with a record of 2-5 and an ERA of 4.17. Littell has made 16 starts this year and has a WHIP of 1.35. Looking back at his last outing, Littell finished with a no-decision after giving up two earned runs in five innings of work. He has finished with a no-decision in each of his last three outings. Littell has given up at least two earned runs in each of his last four starts. The right-hander has a 7.03 ERA on the road compared to 3.56 at home.
Isaac Paredes has been a bright spot for the Rays this season, as he is batting .276 with a team-high 13 home runs. Over his last five games, he has gone 5/19 with four RBIs and two homers. Jose Siri is also tied for 2nd on the team with 11 homers but is batting just .213 for the season and .231 over his last five games.
As a team, the Rays are batting just .236 this season and are averaging only 4 runs per game. This is 24th in the league. They have been a bit better on the road, averaging 4.3 runs per contest. Overall, they are 19th in home runs and have the 20th slugging percentage in the MLB.
Royals Records & Stats
To close out their series vs. the Guardians, the Royals picked up a 6-2 win. Leading up to the game, they were the slight favorite at -131 on the money line. It was a big 1st inning for the Royals, as they scored their first run on a Salvador Perez homer and added another run on a single by Bobby Witt Jr. Kansas City’s offense scored a total of six runs on json’s and went 11 for 28 at the plate.
Seth Lugo put together a good start for the Royals, going six innings and not giving up a run. He also issued just one walk and struck out 10 Guardians batters. Kansas City’s bullpen did give up two runs in the 8th, but the Royals were able to close things out and pick up the win.
Kansas City will host the Rays with an overall record of 47-39, which has them 3rd in the AL Central. Currently, they are seven games behind the Guardians for the division lead. The Royals closed the gap on the Guardians by winning three straight games to close out their series vs. Cleveland.
At home, the Royals are 30-16 this season compared to a 17-23 mark on the road. So far, they have gone 24-12 as the favorite and 17-6 as the favorite at home. Kansas City’s overall series record is 13-13-1 and have won two straight series.
When the Royals are favored, they have covered the run line at a 52.8% clip this season, but when they are underdogs, they have been a solid bet, covering at a 60% rate. Their average run differential is +0.6 runs per game, and they have covered the run line in three straight games.
The Kansas City Royals are at home today against the Tampa Bay Rays, with the over/under line set at 9.5 runs. The Royals’ games have had an average combined run total of 8.5 this season, and their over/under record is 36-47. Their games have had an average over/under line of 8 runs, and when the line is set at 9.5 runs, their over/under record is 5-3. Only 2.3% of their games have had over/under lines set at 9.5 runs or higher, with 88.4% of their games having lower lines.
Brady Singer is coming off a start in which he didn’t give up a homer. Against the Marlins on June 26th, he went 7 1/3 innings, giving up just one earned run and coming away with a no-decision. Looking back further, Singer has made 16 starts and has a record of 4-4 with a 3.12 ERA. This year, he has allowed a total of 11 homers. Singer’s ERA for the season is 2.91 at home compared to 3.66 on the road. His BB/9 figure is 2.62 compared to 8.56 strikeouts per nine innings.
Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. have been the Royals’ top power threats this season, as Perez has 14 homers and Witt Jr. has gone deep 12 times. Perez is also batting .281 for the season, while Witt Jr. has a team-best batting average of .312. First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino has also been a solid run producer for the Royals, as his 55 RBIs are 8th best in the league, and he is batting .247 with 10 homers.
Over his last six games, Pasquantino has gone 10/23 with two homers and eight RBIs. Perez has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 7/23 with two homers and six RBIs. Hunter Renfroe is currently on a five-game hitting streak for the Royals.