MLB Odds: Rangers vs. Royals prediction, pick, how to watch
The Texas Rangers are in first in the AL West as they visit the Kansas City Royals. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Rangers-Royals prediction, pick, and how to watch.
Last night Jacob DeGrom left after four innings of no-hit baseball, but the relievers held the Rangers to just one hit, and the Rangers came away with a 4-0 victory over the Royals. This is the second time in four games against the Royals this year that a start player has left the game due to injury. Still, the Rangers have already won three of four against the Royals this year and dominated in two of them. The Royals do have a 10-1 win in Texas earlier this year, but could not get the bats going last night.
Here are the Rangers-Royals MLB odds,
MLB Odds: Rangers-Royals Odds
Texas Rangers: -1.5 (+128)
Kansas City Royals: +1.5 (-154)
Over: 9 (-110)
Under: 9 (-110)
How To Watch Rangers vs. Royals
TV: BSSW/BSKC
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 7:40 PM ET/ 4:40 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Rangers Could Cover The Spread
The Rangers have been getting it done this year with pitching and timely hitting to get wins. On the season, they rank 21st in MLB with a .237 batting average, and their .308 on-base percentage is 23rd. They have 18 home runs, which is 14th in the majors, but have scored 88 runs, which is sixth in baseball. They have done this by good hitting with guys in the scoring position. This year, the Rangers leave the second least amount of guys in scoring position, averaging just 2.94 per game. Yesterday they only left one man in scoring position, en route to a 4-0 win.
Leading the charge has been the combo of Adolis Garcia, Marcus Semien, and Nathaniel Lowe. Garcia is hitting only .200 on the season, but he has three home runs and driven in 14. Semien has driven in 13 while batting .254 and sending three over the fence. Lowe is also hitting .254 this year while also driving in 13 runs. Not to be left out of the fun has been Corey Seager. He only has four runs batted in this year, but scored seven times and leads the team in OPS at 1.008. His 0.5 WAR is also tied for the team lead on offense.
Nathan Eovaldi is getting the start today for the Rangers, and he lost his last outing to the Royals. In that game, he gave up ten hits and six runs in just five innings to take the loss. He has not been great this year, giving up 11 runs in 15.2 innings of work while striking out 19. His 1.53 WHIP is way too high, and while he is striking out guys and keeping the ball in the yard, he is letting too many guys get hits off him this year.
Why The Royals Could Cover The Spread
The Royals have scored just 54 runs this year. They have been shutout four times this year and only scored four runs in a game six times in 17 games. In those games, they are 3-3. Outside of those games they are 1-10. The offense has been bad. They are hitting just .202 on the season as a team, which is the worst in baseball. Their on-base percentage is .264 which is also the worst in baseball. Even when they are getting guys on, they are sitting 15th in the major with 3.53 runners left on per game. They are striking out in 26.6% of their at-bats which is 29th in the majors.
Bobby Witt Jr. has been the biggest bright spot on this Royals offense. He leads everyday players on the team with a .262 batting average. He also has shown some speed on the basepath. On the season, Witt Jr. has stolen five bases, which is half of the Royals total team totals. He also leads the team in runs scored, scoring nine times this year. Vinnie Pasquantino has also been good this year. He is hitting .255, but his on-base is a team-leading .379. This is because he has walked a team-high 11 times during the year.
Pitching tonight will be Brad Keller. Keller was the recipient of that ten runs of support outing the last time he took the mound. In that game against the Rangers, he went 6.2 innings, allowing just one solo homerun and getting his second win of the season. With a pitching staff that has been suspect this year, Keller has been a bright spot. He has a 2.12 ERA on the season, with 16 strikeouts. His WHIP is sitting right a 1.00 so far this year, and if he gets a little run support, it goes a long way with him.
Final Rangers-Royals Prediction & Pick
The last time these two pitchers squared off the Royals had their best game of the season. It is hard to imagine that happening twice in a row for them in this matchup, but Eovaldi just has been off this year. Keller has been on, and if he gets a little support, he will get the win. The Royals just need to score a few runs in this one. They have potential there but is has not fully panned out this year. If the Rangers cannot score, do not expect the Royals too, and the under is very much in play here. Still, the Royals will keep this one close, as Keller has half of the team’s wins so far this year.
Final Rangers-Royals Prediction & Pick: Royals +1.5 (-154) and Under 9 (-110)
