The Tampa Bay Rays (10-8) go for the three-game sweep and a perfect 6-0 road trip when they take on the Kansas City Royals (9-7) Wednesday. First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. ET at Kauffman Stadium. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook‘s lines around the Rays vs. Royals odds with MLB picks and predictions.
RHP Michael Wacha is the projected starting pitcher for the Rays. He is 1-1 with a 4.20 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 12.0 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 across 15 IP through three appearances (two starts). It’s early, but Wacha is missing far more bats than ever before and is coming off a 9 strikeout performance against the New York Yankees for his highest single-game total since July 2017.
RHP Jakob Junis is the projected starting pitcher for the Royals. He is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 11.3 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 through 12 IP across four appearances with two starts.
Armed with a new cutter that he is throwing on about one-third of his offerings, Junis is racking up more strikeouts than usual. He whiffed 6 batters in 5 innings in each of his first two starts, and earned a win against the Toronto Blue Jays last time out, though he served up his first 2 runs of the year.
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Rays at Royals odds, lines, picks and prediction
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 11 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Rays -110 (bet $110 to win $100) | Royals -110 (bet $110 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Rays -1.5 (+150) | Royals +1.5 (-185)
- Over/Under: 7.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
Prediction
Rays 6, Royals 3
Money line (ML)
After losing three games in a row, the Rays have come out on top in each of their last five.
It has been only 15 innings, but Wacha is displaying the strongest skills of his career, with a FIP and xFIP both under 3.00.
Look for the RAYS (-110) to make it six wins in a row Wednesday night.
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Run line/Against the spread (ATS)
During the Rays’ win streak, their average margin of victory has been 4.2 runs, with each contest decided by more than 1 run.
As the road team, they will have an opportunity to win by multiple runs in the last inning, and there appears to be solid value in taking the RAYS -1.5 (+150).
Over/Under (O/U)
The Over has hit in four of the last six games for Tampa, while seven of the last 10 Kansas City games have gone under the total.
Both Wacha and Junis have shown some improvement during the season’s first few weeks, but the sample is too small to fully buy into this being a pitchers’ duel.
PASS on the total.
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