The Kansas City Royals and Tampa Bay Rays are set to start a four-game series on Thursday. The Tampa Bay Rays are leading the American League with their 52-25 record. Tampa Bay picked up a win on Wednesday to move 5 games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East. For Kansas City, they dropped the game on Wednesday and are now 20-54 on the season. The Royals are 15.5 games back of first-place Minnesota. Tampa Bay is listed at -230, with a total of 7.5. You can grab Tampa Bay at -1.5 (-110).
Rays Send Ace to the Mound
Shane McClanahan gets the start for Tampa Bay. The 26-year-old has been the best pitcher in Major League Baseball this season. He is 11-1 on the season, with a 2.12 earned run average on the season. McClanahan has struck out 97 batters in just under 90 innings this season. The lefthander is coming off a start in San Diego, where he allowed just 3 hits over 6.2 innings while striking out 5.
Tampa Bay has one of the top run differentials in all of Major League Baseball, with nearly 430 runs scored and less than 285 runs allowed this season. Tampa Bay also has the best record at home this season, with 32 wins in 40 games. The Rays are at or near the top in most offensive categories, including 2nd in runs, 5th in batting average, and 3rd in on-base percentage.
Tampa Bay’s Yandy Diaz anchors the team with a .303 batting average. Randy Arozarena is the top power threat for the Rays, with 14 home runs and 50 runs batted in on the season.
Royals Terrible in 2023
Things have not gone well for the Royals at all in 2023. Tuesday saw a good outing from Daniel Lynch, allowing just one hit in 7 innings. The Royals’ offense got just enough in the win. Then – Kansas City fell to the Tigers to lose the series on Wednesday. The Kansas City offense is near the bottom of all stats, including 28th in runs scored and 23rd in team batting average. Veteran Salvador Perez leads the team with a .267 batting average, 14 home runs, and 37 runs batted in.
The Kansas City Royals have yet to name a starting pitcher in this game. The Royals have been very poor pitching this season, as they are 28th in runs allowed with 272. The opponents are batting .232 against Kansas City. Zack Greinke has the best ERA at 4.81 but just one win, while Brady Singer has 4 wins but a 6.33 ERA. Singer went on Wednesday, while Greinke is scheduled to pitch Friday. The last time this rotation spot came out, Mike Mayers made a spot start for the Royals. Some are speculating Jose Cuas, who is 3-0 will get the start.
Rays Smack Royals in Game 1
The Tampa Bay Rays have not been playing great baseball as of late, but this is a great time to get back on track. Kansas City is a bad baseball team, and the Rays know they are great. The Rays are going to get after whoever pitches for Kansas City early and often. Do not be surprised if the Rays sweep this series. Bet the Tampa Bay Rays -1.5 (-110) over the Kansas City Royals.
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