The Kansas City Royals (21-55) are on the road to face the Tampa Bay Rays (53-26) at Tropicana Field on Saturday. The Rays leveled the series 1-1 after winning 11-3 on Friday. Zach Eflin went six innings to get the win, allowing three runs on seven hits and striking out seven.
Jose Siri went 3 for 4 with a home run, two runs, and four RBIs in the win. Bobby Witt Jr. was 2 for 3 with one run for the Royals. Salvador Perez added a home run and two RBIs.
ON THE MOUND
Jordan Lyles (0-11, 6.72 ERA) is set to get the start for Kansas City. The righty allowed three runs over six innings in his last start, a 6-4 road defeat against the Tigers on Monday. He gave up six hits while striking out three and walking one in the no-decision.
Lyles is making his first appearance against the Rays this season. Over four starts against the Rays in 2022, Lyles was 1-3 with a 7.64 ERA over 17.2 innings. He had 20 strikeouts and 11 walks.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Kansas City has averaged 3.6 runs a game, a small drop compared to their season average of 3.8. Tampa Bay is averaging 6.6 runs per game in the last five, up slightly from 5.6 for the season.
The Rays have a .801 OPS against righties in 2023, the highest in MLB. With a .423 OBP over 152 at-bats, Randy Arozarena has their highest on-base percentage against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Kansas City is 11-27 in road games in 2023, scoring 3.3 runs per game while allowing 5.1 runs. Tampa Bay has gone 33-9 at Tropicana Field this season, averaging 6.0 runs per game while surrendering 3.6. In the last 10 games between the teams at Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay is 6-4 with an average scoreline of 4.5-3.2.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Royals are fifth in the AL Central, 17 games behind the division-leading Twins. The Rays lead the AL East by five games over the Orioles.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
TB Rays -2.5 (+110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
