The Kansas City Royals (9-17) meet the Texas Rangers (11-16) Tuesday for the start of a 3-game set at Globe Life Field. First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the Royals vs. Rangers odds with MLB picks and predictions.
K.C. is 3-7 in the last 10 games and lost back-to-back games vs. the Baltimore Orioles Sunday-Monday to drop its 3rd consecutive series.
Texas lost its rubber match Monday with the New York Yankees 1-0, but the Rangers won their previous 2 series vs. the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves.
The Rangers beat the Royals 4-2 in last year’s season series. Texas outscored K.C. 42-33 in those meetings.
Royals at Rangers projected starters
RHP Brad Keller vs. LHP Martin Perez
Keller 1-2 with a 1.74 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 2.3 BB/9 and 5.5 K/9 in 31 IP in 5 starts. He threw 6 1/3-scoreless IP in K.C.’s 7-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals May 3 with 4 H, 3 BB and 2 K.
- 2021 vs. the Rangers: Made 1 start, a no decision in K.C.’s 14-10 victory April 1 going 1 1/3 IP with 6 ER, 9 H, 2 BB and 0 K.
- vs. the Rangers on the current roster: 5.98 with a .313/.380/.547 expected batting average (xBA), wOBA (xwOBA) and slugging percentage (xSLG) slash line, 16.7 K% and 88.7 mph exit velocity (EV) in 36 plate appearances (PA).
Perez 0-2 with a 2.25 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9 and 6.4 K/9 in 28 IP across 5 starts. He got a no decision in Texas’s 2-1 win over the Phillies, pitching 7 scoreless IP with 4 H, 4 BB and 4 K.
- 2021 vs. the Royals: 2-0 with a 2.61 ERA (10 1/3 IP, 3 ER), 10 H, 1 HR, 2 BB and 5 K in 2 starts.
- vs. the Royals on the current roster: 5.18 FIP with a .286/.345/.448 xBA-xwOBA-xSLG slash line, 14.1 K% and 83.6 mph EV in 78 PA.
Royals at Rangers odds and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:48 p.m. ET.
- Money line (ML): Royals +115 (bet $100 to win $115) | Rangers -140 (bet $140 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Royals +1.5 (-180) | Rangers -1.5 (+145)
- Over/Under (O/U): 7.5 (O: -130 | U: +105)
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Royals at Rangers picks and predictions
Prediction
Royals 3, Rangers 2
Money line
Slight LEAN to the ROYALS (+115) because there’s a line freeze in the betting market and the Rangers (-140) are 1-9 overall in their last 10 games as a favorite since the beginning of last season.
According to Tipico Sportsbook, roughly 75% of the action is on Texas, but the line hasn’t budged off the opener, which suggests the House wants more pro-Rangers bets.
However, this is a toss-up game since the pitching staff matchup is a wash and the lineups are neck-and-neck in WAR (per FanGraphs).
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Run line/Against the spread
PASS because the Royals +1.5 (-180) is out of my price range and the Under is my favorite wager in this game.
Over/Under
LEAN to the UNDER 7.5 (+105) because both lineups struggle vs. their respective opposing starters’ pitching handedness and these starters have a combined 2-7 O/U record this season.
The Royals rank 25th in wRC+ (86), 25th in wOBA (.253) and 21st in BB/K rate (0.36) vs. left-handed pitching, according to FanGraphs.
The Rangers rank 28th in both wRC+ (73) and wOBA (.261) and 25th in BB/K rate (0.32) against right-handed pitching.
But, it’s only a LEAN to the UNDER 7.5 (+105) because neither bullpen is trustworthy.
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