The Tampa Bay Rays (52-25), one of the top offenses in baseball, are set to host the Kansas City Royals (20-54) at Tropicana Field on Thursday for the first of a four-game series.
The Royals are in the midst of a seven-game road trip. They won only one out of three in their last series against the Tigers, dropping the finale 9-4 on Wednesday at Comerica Park. Freddy Fermin was 3 for 4 with two doubles, one run, and two RBIs.
The Rays are in the midst of a six-game homestand. They split their last series against the Orioles, taking the finale 7-2 on Wednesday at Tropicana Field. Randy Arozarena went 3 for 3 with a home run and a double. He drove in two runs.
Isaac Paredes added a solo home run. The teams are meeting for the first time this season. In 2022, the Rays won four of the seven games between the teams, including three out of four in their most recent meeting at Tropicana Field in August.
ON THE MOUND
Jose Cuas (3-0, 4.15 ERA) is set to get the start for Kansas City, his first of the season. The right-hander threw a scoreless inning in relief in his last appearance, a 6-4 road defeat against the Tigers on Monday.
He walked one. Over two appearances (zero starts) against the Rays in 2022, Cuas was 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA over 1.1 innings. He had one strikeout and one walk.
For Tampa Bay, LHP Shane McClanahan (11-1, 2.18 ERA) gets the ball. McClanahan made one start against the Royals in 2022, throwing seven innings in a 3-2 home defeat on August 19. He gave up two hits and walked three while striking out eight in the no-decision.
In his last start on Friday, McClanahan got the win on the road against the Padres. He threw 6.2 innings and gave up one run on three hits, striking out five and walking three in the 6-2 triumph. The southpaw leads the league in ERA and is tied for first in wins.
AT THE PLATE
The Kansas City offense is averaging 3.7 runs per game for the season, the second lowest in the league, with a slash line of .232/.297/.376. Salvador Perez leads the team in OPS at .786. The catcher is slashing .267/.302/.484 with 14 home runs, 37 RBIs, and 33 runs over 67 games.
Against southpaws like McClanahan this season, the Royals have a .699 OPS. Bobby Witt Jr. is the team’s most productive hitter against left-handers with a .878 OPS in 74 at-bats.
Tampa Bay is slashing .263/.338/.464 for the season and averaging 5.6 runs per game, second-best in the league. Four Rays hitters have an OPS of .800 or better, led by Yandy Diaz (.905).
The third baseman has 12 home runs, 38 RBIs, and 47 runs scored with a slash line of .300/.391/.515. The Rays have a .791 OPS against righties in 2023, the highest in MLB. With a .943 OPS over 151 at-bats, Luke Raley has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Kansas City is 10-26 away from home in 2023, scoring 3.3 runs per game while allowing 4.9 runs. Tampa Bay has gone 32-8 in front of their home fans this season, averaging 5.9 runs per game while surrendering 3.6. In the last 10 games between the teams at Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay is 7-3 with an average scoreline of 4.0-2.8.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Royals are fifth in the AL Central, 15 games behind the division-leading Twins. The Rays lead the AL East by four games over the Orioles.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
TB Rays -2.5 (+100)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
