Kansas City Royals vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/18/2022

Game Time: 7:10 pm ET, Thursday, August 18, 2022

Venue:  Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL

Where to Watch:  BSSUN

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Royals NL, Rays NL; Over/Under:  NL runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Royals NL, Rays NL; Over/Under:  NL runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Royals NL, Rays NL; Over/Under:  NL runs

 

Kansas City Royals:  48-70 (4th place, AL Central)

Tampa Bay Rays:  62-53 (2nd place, AL East)

 

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Kansas City Royals:  5-5 last 10

Tampa Bay Rays:  6-4 last 10

 

 

 

 

The Royals enter this game on a 2 game losing streak. They lost their last series against the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 in a 3-game series. They enter this game with a 48-70 record overall and have a road record of 19-36. This is the series opener of a 4-game series with the Rays on Thursday with the series finale of their series against the Minnesota Twins still to be played on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 23rd in the MLB with a .689 OPS. Daniel Lynch is their starting pitcher on Wednesday while there is no probable starting pitcher yet making his start in this game on Thursday. 

 

The Rays enter this game on a 4 game winning streak. They won their last series against the Baltimore Orioles 2-1 in a 3-game series. They enter this game with a 62-53 record overall and have a home record of 35-22. This is the 1st game of a 4-game series with the Royals on Thursday with the 3rd game of their series against the New York Yankees still to be played on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 25th in the MLB with a .681 OPS. Corey Kluber is their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Shane McClanahan is making his start in this game on Thursday. He is 11-5 with a 2.28 ERA this season. His team lost 3 of their last 4 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last start, he allowed 2 ER, 0 HRs, and 3 BB with 4 Ks on 7 hits through 6 IP against the Baltimore Orioles. 

The current betting odds have not been listed for this game yet. The Rays have been playing very well in their recent games and they will have a lot of motivation to try and get the sweep in this series. The Royals have not been playing well this season as they have one of the worst records in the MLB and one of the worst offenses. The Rays have not been great on offense either but their offense has actually been picking up in their recent games and their pitching has still been great. They have one of their best starters here in McClanahan and he should have no problems with this weak Royals lineup. With the Yankees and Blue Jays starting to slip recently, the Rays have a very good chance of not only keeping their Wild Card spot and pulling away but also catching the Yankees as they are dealing with a lot of injuries that could keep them in a slump. These are the games the Rays need to win to start pulling away in the Wild Card race and they will make good with their opportunity here. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rays to win this game.

 

Royals Rays Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Thursday, August 18, 2022 (7:10 pm ET start time) is Rays 4 Royals 1.

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Kansas City Royals: 48-70 (-9.3 Units) ML in all games. 19-36 (-6.4 Units) ML in road games. BRAD KELLER is 27-10 UNDER when the money line is +125 to -125.

Tampa Bay Rays: 214-147 (+33 Units) ML in all games. 113-61 (+24.3 Units) ML in home games. SHANE MCCLANAHAN is 11-2 UNDER when the money line is +125 to -125.

 

 

Kansas City Royals:  H. Dozier (3B) Out indefinitely - Personal. E. Olivares (CF) Out indefinitely - Quadricep. A. Mondesi (SS) out for season - Knee.

Tampa Bay Rays:  K. Kiermaier (CF) out for season - Hip. M. Zunino (C) out for season - Shoulder. M. Margot (CF) Late Aug - Knee.

 

 

 

"We're right there still in that game with an opportunity again and miss it. You can't let those go." - Mike Matheny after his team’s loss against the Twins on Tuesday.

 

 

"Wins in this ballpark against this team, that can elevate you a little bit and make you feel that much better." - Kevin Cash after his team’s win against the Yankees on Tuesday.

 

 

 

MJ Melendez (L) C

Bobby Witt Jr. (R) 3B

Salvador Perez (R) DH

Vinnie Pasquantino (L) 1B

Brent Rooker (R) RF

Michael Massey (L) 2B

Michael A. Taylor (R) CF

Nate Eaton (R) LF

Maikel Garcia (R) SS

 

Yandy Diaz (R) 3B

Isaac Paredes (R) 1B

Harold Ramirez (R) DH

Randy Arozarena (R) RF

Christian Bethancourt (R) C

Jose Siri (R) CF

Taylor Walls (S) SS

Yu Chang (R) 2B

Roman Quinn (S) LF

 

 

Batting Average:  Maikel Garcia (.350)

Hits:  Bobby Witt (104)

Home Runs:  Salvador Perez (17)

RBI:  Bobby Witt (57)

Stolen Bases:  Bobby Witt (23)

Wins:  Brad Keller (6)

Saves:  Scott Barlow (19)

ERA:  Angel Zerpa (1.64)

 

Batting Average:  Jonathan Aranda (.375)

Hits:  Randy Arozarena (108)

Home Runs:  Randy Arozarena (16)

RBI:  Randy Arozarena (61)

Stolen Bases:  Randy Arozarena (21)

Wins:  Shane McClanahan (11)

Saves:  Colin Poche (7)

ERA:  J.P. Feyereisen (0.00)

 

Managers:

Kansas City Royals: Mike Matheny (3rd season)

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (8th season)