Tampa Bay Rays vs Kansas City Royals Betting Pick & Prediction 7/4/24
There looks to be a chance for light rain in Kansas City on Thursday, where the forecasted temperature is 81 degrees. At Kauffman Stadium, the Rays and Royals will face off in an AL matchup. First pitch is set for 8:10 PM ET.
The money line odds have the Rays at -131 compared to the Royals at +111. The over/under line is currently 8.5 runs, and Zach Eflin will start for the Rays, while the Royals are starting Alec Marsh. Tampa Bay is 4th in the AL East, and the Royals are 3rd in the AL Central.
KANSAS CITY ROYALS VS TAMPA BAY RAYS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Kansas City Royals Moneyline +111
This game will be played at Kauffman Stadium at 8:10 ET on Thursday, July 4th.
HOW TO BET THE RAYS VS ROYALS:
- We have the Royals winning by a score of 6 to 5
- 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 11 runs and like the over
Thanks to a two-run 7th inning for the Royals’ offense, they picked up a 4-2 win over the Rays in the most recent game of this series. Heading into the game, the Royals were at -106 on the money line.
Kansas City got to Rays starter Ryan Pepiot, who gave up two earned runs in just four innings of work and took the loss. As for the Royals, they got a good outing from Michael Wacha, who gave up just one earned run across six innings of work and got the win.
At the plate, the Royals were led by Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino, as they were the only two Royals hitters to have more than one hit. Witt Jr. also scored twice and drove in a run. Salvador Perez also had a two RBI game at the plate.
Rays Records & Stats
Tampa Bay will be on the road today vs. the Royals, and they are currently at an even 43-43 overall. In the AL East, they are in 4th place, 12 games behind the Orioles. So far, they have gone just 10-17 in divisional games.
The Rays have won four straight series, and their overall series record is 14-11-2 this year. At home, they are 23-25 compared to 20-18 on the road. As the road favorite, the Rays have gone 8-7 this year.
When the Rays win, they do so by an average margin of 2.5 runs per game, which is why they are a profitable 23-15 on the run line on the road. Overall, they are 39-47 against the run line, and they have been a better bet as the underdog (22-16) than as the favorite (17-31). Their average run margin on the road is -0.4 runs per game, and they are 16-32 against the run line at home. Their overall run differential is -0.6 runs per game.
The Tampa Bay Rays are on the road today against the Kansas City Royals. The over/under line for the game is set at 8.5 runs, which is slightly higher than their season average of 8.6 runs per game. The Rays have played to the over in 42 of their 82 games this season, and their over/under record when the line is set at 8.5 runs is 12-13. Overall, 59.3% of their games have had lower over/under lines than today’s total. The under has hit in their last three games.
Zach Eflin is looking to build off his last outing, where he didn’t give up a run and picked up the win. In that start vs. the Nationals, he went six innings and didn’t give up a homer, something he had done in three straight outings. Eflin’s ERA for the season is 3.92, along with a record of 4-5. For the year, he has made 15 starts, five of which were quality starts. Eflin’s WHIP for the season is 1.12, and opponents are batting .256 off him this year. Per nine innings, Eflin has 7.11 strikeouts and just 0.72 walks.
Isaac Paredes has been the Rays’ top power threat this season, as his 14 home runs is 13th in the MLB and leads the team. Paredes is also batting .276 for the season, and he has three homers over his last 10 games. Yandy Diaz has also been swinging the bat well of late, going 12/44 in his last 10 games with two homers.
As a team, the Rays are batting just .235 and are averaging only four runs per game. This has them as the 25th scoring offense in the league. They have been slightly better on the road, averaging 4.3 runs per contest.
Royals Records & Stats
Kansas City is 48-40 overall, putting them 3rd in the AL Central. They are seven games behind the Guardians for the division lead. The Royals had a chance to gain a game on the Guardians, but they dropped their most recent game vs. the Rays. Their overall record vs. other AL Central teams is 16-10.
At home, the Royals are 31-17 this year and 17-23 on the road. As the favorite, the Royals are 24-13 and 24-27 as the underdog. Their overall series record is 13-13-1 and have won two straight series.
When the Royals win, they win big, with an average run margin of 3.7 runs per game. This has led to a strong run line record of 50-38 overall, including a 29-19 mark at home. Kansas City’s average run margin overall is +0.6 runs per game, and they are 19-18 against the run line as the favorite and 31-20 as the underdog.
The Kansas City Royals are playing at home against the Tampa Bay Rays today. The over/under line for the game is set at 8.5 runs. The Royals have an over/under record of 36-49 this season, and their games have averaged a combined 8.4 runs per game. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, the Royals have gone over the total in 8 of 25 games. Their games have had an average over/under line of 8 runs this season.
Right-hander Alec Marsh gets the start for the Royals today as he faces off against the Rays at home. He has made 15 starts this season and has a record of 6-5 with a 4.19 ERA. Marsh’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.20, and he has turned in four quality starts. In his last outing, Marsh picked up the win, going six innings and giving up just one earned run on five hits. Before that, he had given up seven earned runs in back-to-back starts. So far, he has been much better at home, coming in with a 4-1 record and 3.50 ERA compared to 2-4 with a 6.31 ERA on the road.
Heading into today’s game, the Royals are averaging 4.5 runs per game, which is 13th in the league. They have been a better offensive team at home this season, averaging 5.1 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .244, which is 11th in the league, and are 10th in slugging percentage. The Royals are also one of the top home run hitting teams in the league, with their 87 homers being 15th in the MLB.
Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. have been two of the Royals’ top offensive performers this season. Perez is hitting .278 with a team-high 14 homers, while Witt Jr. is batting .314 with 13 homers. Over the team’s last eight games, Vinnie Pasquantino has gone 12/31 with two homers and nine RBIs. Witt Jr. is also on a three-game hitting streak.