Tampa Bay Rays vs Kansas City Royals Prediction, Preview and Odds - 06/26/2025

Game Time: 2:10 pm ET, Thursday, June 26, 2025

Venue:  Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO

Where to Watch:  FDSSUN, FDSKC

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Rays -123, Royals +101; Over/Under:  9.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Rays -120, Royals +100; Over/Under:  9.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Rays -120, Royals +100; Over/Under:  9.5 runs

Tampa Bay Rays:  44-35 (2nd place, AL East)

Kansas City Royals:  38-41 (3rd place, AL Central)

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Tampa Bay Rays:  7-3 last 10

Kansas City Royals:  4-6 last 10

The Rays are entering this series off a loss and won their 3-game series against the Detroit Tigers 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 44-35 record overall and have a road record of 17-12. This is the series finale of a 3-game series with the Royals on Thursday with the 2nd game still to be played on Wednesday. The Rays won the series opener on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 11th in the MLB with a .728 OPS. Drew Rasmussen is their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Shane Baz is making his start in this game on Thursday. He is 7-3 with a 4.79 ERA this season. His team won their last 6 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 5 ER, 1 HR, and 4 BB with 6 SO on 4 hits through 5.1 IP against the Detroit Tigers.

The Royals are entering this series off a loss and lost their 3-game series against the San Diego Padres 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 38-41 record overall and have a home record of 19-20. This is the 3rd game of a 3-game series with the Rays on Thursday with the 2nd game of this series still to be played on Wednesday. The Royals lost the 1st game of this series on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 27th in the MLB with a .668 OPS. Michael Wacha is their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Michael Lorenzen is making his start in this game on Thursday. He is 4-7 with a 4.81 ERA this season. His team won 3 of their last 4 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 earned runs, 0 homers, and 3 walks with 4 strikeouts on 5 hits through 5.1 innings pitched against the San Diego Padres.

The current betting odds have the Rays listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Royals haven't looked great in their games this season with their 38-41 record overall which has them right near the bottom of the AL Central. They haven't looked that great in their own ballpark either with their 19-20 home record. Meanwhile, the Rays have looked good in their games this season with their 44-35 record overall which has them right near the top of the AL East. They have also been a good road team with their 17-12 road record this season. The Rays have been rolling lately as they are 7-3 in their last 10 games while the Royals are 4-6, and the Rays offense has looked a lot better all season too. Baz is on the mound for the Rays in this one and he hasn't looked great this year, but the team has had a lot of success with him starting. He is 7-3 with a 4.79 ERA and he did give up 5 earned runs in his last start, but the team has still won 6 games in a row with him starting and he will be looking to bounce back here with a better performance against one of the worst offenses in the MLB. The Royals are going with Lorenzen in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. He only gave up 2 earned runs in his last start, but he is 4-7 with a 4.81 ERA and has taken a lot of losses this year with the runs he has been giving up. The Rays have been rolling lately and they have been putting up a ton of runs in their games, they will take advantage of a slumping Royals team. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rays to win this game. 

Rays Royals Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Thursday, June 26, 2025 (2:10 pm ET start time) is Rays 7 Royals 4.

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Tampa Bay Rays: 222-182 (+13.2 units) on the moneyline in all games. 100-90 (+11.2 units) on the moneyline in road games. 145-85 (+17.7 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -110 or higher. 26-16 UNDER on the road when the total is 9 to 9.5.

Kansas City Royals: 34-56 (-12.6 units) on the moneyline against AL East opponents. 182-226 (-18.9 units) on the moneyline in all games. 96-106 (-10.6 units) on the moneyline in home games. 24-15 UNDER in home games.

Tampa Bay Rays:  M. Rodriguez (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Forearm. J. DeLuca (CF) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. H. Kim (SS) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. H. Bigge (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Lat. S. McClanahan (SP) Sixty Day IL - Triceps. R. Palacios (LF) Ten Day IL - Knee. A. Faedo (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. N. Lavender (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Kansas City Royals:  C. Ragans (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Rotator Cuff. M. Massey (2B) Ten Day IL - Ankle. H. Harvey (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. A. Marsh (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. J. McArthur (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“He set a tone early with the strike-throwing and really built off that. We were pretty pumped for Taj. It’s been a grind for him the last couple of starts, but he was able to rebound and really give us a good start today.” - Kevin Cash after his team’s win against the Royals in their game on Tuesday.

“I don’t think there's anything bigger to it. Other than we’re just not playing great.” - Vinnie Pasquantino after their loss against the Rays in their game on Tuesday.

Yandy Díaz (R) 1B

Curtis Mead (R) 2B

Junior Caminero (R) 3B

Jonathan Aranda (L) DH

Jake Mangum (S) LF

José Caballero (R) RF

Danny Jansen (R) C

Taylor Walls (S) SS

Chandler Simpson (L) CF

Jonathan India (R) 2B

Bobby Witt Jr. (R) SS

Maikel Garcia (R) 3B

Vinnie Pasquantino (L) 1B

Salvador Perez (R) C

Jac Caglianone (L) RF

Drew Waters (S) LF

John Rave (L) DH

Kyle Isbel (L) CF

Batting Average:  Richie Palacios (.750)

Hits:  Yandy Díaz (86)

Home Runs:  Junior Caminero (19)

RBI:  Junior Caminero (50)

Stolen Bases:  José Caballero (29)

Wins:  Shane Baz (7)

Saves:  Pete Fairbanks (13)

ERA:  Joe Boyle (0.00)

Batting Average:  Luke Maile (.375)

Hits:  Maikel Garcia (88)

Home Runs:  Vinnie Pasquantino (11)

RBI:  Vinnie Pasquantino (42)

Stolen Bases:  Bobby Witt (21)

Wins:  Kris Bubic (6)

Saves:  Carlos Estévez (22)

ERA:  Hunter Harvey (0.00)

Managers:

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (11th season)

Kansas City Royals: Matt Quatraro (3rd season)