Tampa Bay Rays vs Kansas City Royals Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/04/2024

Game Time: 8:10 pm ET, Thursday, July 4, 2024

Venue:  Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO 

Where to Watch:  BSSUN

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Rays -130, Royals +110; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Rays -130, Royals +110; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Rays -130, Royals +110; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Tampa Bay Rays:  43-42 (4th place, AL East)

Kansas City Royals:  47-40 (3rd place, AL Central)

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Tampa Bay Rays:  7-3 last 10

Kansas City Royals:  5-5 last 10

The Rays are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Washington Nationals 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 43-42 record overall and have a road record of 20-17. This is the series finale of a 3-game series with the Royals on Thursday with the 2nd game of this series still to be played on Wednesday. The Rays won the series opener of this series on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 22nd in the MLB with a .680 OPS. Ryan Pepiot is their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Zach Eflin is making his start in this game on Thursday. He is 4-5 with a 3.92 ERA this season. His team won 7 of their last 8 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 0 ER, 0 HR, and 1 BB with 6 Ks on 4 hits through 6 IP against the Washington Nationals.

The Royals are entering this series off a win and won their 4-game series against the Cleveland Guardians 3-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 47-40 record overall and have a home record of 30-17. 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 15th in the MLB with a .708 OPS. Michael Wacha is their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Alec Marsh is making his start in this game on Thursday. He is 6-5 with a 4.19 ERA this season. His team lost 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 earned run, 1 homer, and 2 BB with 5 strikeouts on 4 hits through 6 innings played against the Cleveland Guardians.

The current betting odds have the Rays listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Royals have looked good in their games this season with their 47-40 record overall, but that record only has them in 3rd place of the AL Central. They are fighting for a Wild Card spot in the AL at the moment and they have looked a lot better in their home games this year with their 30-17 home record. Meanwhile, the Rays haven't looked good in their games this season with their 43-42 record overall which has them near the bottom of the AL East. They are also 20-17 in their road games this season. The Rays have struggled all year but they are starting to get hot now with their 7-3 record in their last 10 games. They also have the better pitching matchup here with Eflin on the mound. He is 4-5 with a 3.92 ERA this season, but he hasn't been giving up many runs in his starts lately. He gave up no runs in his last one as he has been pitching much better over the last month, and even the team is having a ton of success with him starting, winning 7 of their last 8 games. Marsh is on the mound for the Royals here and he hasn't been bad this season with his 6-5 record and his 4.19 ERA, but the team hasn't been having a lot of success with him. They have lost 2 of their last 3 games with him starting and even though he gave up just 1 earned run in his last start, that hasn't been a common theme for him lately. The Royals have also been cooling off with their 5-5 record in their last 10 games and the Rays are just the hotter team right now with a better pitching matchup in this game. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rays to win this game. 

Rays Royals Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Thursday, July 4, 2024 (8:10 pm ET start time) is Rays 4 Royals 2.

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Tampa Bay Rays: 20-49 (-25.25 units) on the first 5 moneyline in their last 69 games. 25-39 (-22.95 units) on the first 5 runline in their last 64 games. 48-25 to the under with their team total in their last 73 games. 

Kansas City Royals: 31-15 (+14.65 units) on the moneyline in their last 46 home games. 29-19 (+8.14 units) on the runline in their last 48 home games. 14-5 to the under in their last 19 games. 

Tampa Bay Rays:  B. Lowe (2B) - Toe. R. Lovelady (RP) - Forearm. J. Waguespack (RP) - Shoulder. J. Springs (SP) - Elbow. D. Rasmussen (SP) - Elbow. S. McClanahan (SP) - Forearm.

Kansas City Royals:  A. Frazier (2B) - Thumb. D. Altavilla (RP) - Oblique. J. Taylor (RP) - Bicep. K. Bubic (SP) - Elbow. K. Wright (SP) - Shoulder.

“Our bullpen matched up really well. Everybody who came in threw really well.” - Kevin Cash after his team’s win against the Royals in their game on Tuesday.

“You have to give them credit. One run wasn't going to be enough.” - Matt Quatraro after his team’s loss against the Rays in their game on Tuesday.

Y Díaz (R) 1B

B Lowe (L) DH

I Paredes (R) 3B

J Lowe (L) RF

R Arozarena (R) LF

R Palacios (L) 2B

J Siri (R) CF

B Rortvedt (L) C

T Walls (S) SS

M Garcia (R) 2B

B Witt Jr. (R) SS

V Pasquantino (L) 1B

S Perez (R) C

M Massey (L) DH

H Renfroe (R) RF

M Melendez (L) LF

C Alexander (L) 3B

K Isbel (L) CF

Batting Average:  Amed Rosario (.291)

Hits:  Yandy Díaz (92)

Home Runs:  Isaac Paredes (13)

RBI:  Isaac Paredes (45)

Stolen Bases:  José Caballero (24)

Wins:  Garrett Cleavinger (5)

Saves:  Pete Fairbanks (13)

ERA:  Edwin Uceta (0.00)

Batting Average:  Bobby Witt (.311)

Hits:  Bobby Witt (108)

Home Runs:  Salvador Perez (14)

RBI:  Vinnie Pasquantino (55)

Stolen Bases:  Bobby Witt (22)

Wins:  Seth Lugo (11)

Saves:  James McArthur (14)

ERA:  Jordan Lyles (0.00)

Managers:

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (10th season)

Kansas City Royals: Matt Quatraro (2nd season)