The Kansas City Royals are visiting the Texas Rangers on Thursday, June 19th at the Globe Life Field in the third game of this series, with the Royals having a 2-0 lead. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Royals vs Rangers Prediction. We will examine:
The Texas Rangers’ recent form and player performance
The Kansas City Royals’ recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Texas Rangers
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Kansas City Royals
Recent betting trends in games played between the Kansas City Royals vs Texas Rangers
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Kansas City Royals vs Texas Rangers game
Texas Rangers Preview
The Texas Rangers have a 36-38 record this season and are sitting in 4th place in the AL West. The Rangers have a 23-15 home record and 24-48 in over/under. They are coming off a 3-6 home defeat by the Royals and have back-to-back losses. Under is 7-4-1 in their last 12 games and are playing the Pirates and the Orioles next.
The Rangers have a .229 batting average this season, a .294 OBP, and a .372 slugging percentage. Texas’s pitching staff has a 3.19 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. Josh Smith leads the Rangers with 63 hits, and he is the team’s best hitter with a .288 batting average. Adolis Garcia leads the team in RBI, with 35.
Reliever Shawn Armstrong (R) is the projected starter for the Rangers, and he has a 2-1 record, 2.90 ERA, and 0.97 WHIP. He has been weaker at home, with a 4.42 ERA across 17 home games, and his only start this season was a shutout against the White Sox in 3 innings pitched.
Kansas City Royals Preview
The Kansas City Royals have a 36-38 record this season and are sitting in 4th place in the AL Central. The Royals have a 17-19 road record and are 30-43 in over/under. They are coming off a 6-3 road victory over the Rangers and have back-to-back wins. Under is 4-2 in their last 6 games, and they are playing the Rays and the Padres next.
The Royals have a .249 batting average this season, a .302 OBP, and a .369 Slugging percentage. Kansas’ pitching staff has a 3.40 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. Maikel Garcia leads the Royals with 84 hits, and he is the team’s best hitter with a .318 batting average. Vinnie Pasquantino leads the team both in RBI, with 39, and in home runs, with 10.
Michael Wacha (R) is the projected starter for the Royals, and he has a 3-6 record, 3.38 ERA, and 1.23 WHIP. He has been weaker on the road, with a 4.41 ERA across six road starts, and he has given up 3+ runs in three of his last four starts. Michael Wacha has a record of 0-3 with an ERA of 4.74 and 16 strikeouts in 4 appearances versus the Rangers in his career.
Why the Texas Rangers will win
- The Rangers have won each of their last six day games after playing the previous day.
- The Royals have lost each of their last six day games against AL West opponents.
- The Royals have failed to cover the run line in each of their last eight day games against AL West opponents.
- The Rangers have covered the run line in six of their last seven games against the Royals following a loss.
- The Rangers have led after 3 innings in five of their last six day games.
- The Rangers have led after 5 innings in six of their last seven day games against AL Central opponents.
Why the Kansas City Royals will win
- The road team has won each of the Royals’ last nine games.
- The Rangers have failed to cover the run line each of their last seven day games against American League opponents that held a losing record.
- The road team has covered the run line in eight of the Royals’ last nine games.
- The Royals have led after 3 innings in four of their last five road games against AL West opponents.
- The Royals have led after 5 innings in each of their last five road games against AL West opponents.
Total Runs Facts
- Six of the Royals’ last seven day games against American League opponents have gone UNDER the total runs line.
- Eight of the Rangers’ last 10 home games against American League opponents have gone UNDER the total runs line.
- The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Royals’ last seven day games against AL West opponents.
- The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in 12 of the Rangers’ last 15 day games at Globe Life Field.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Rangers rank 1st in the league for runs allowed this season (250).
- The Rangers rank 2nd in the league for ERA this season (3.19).
- The Royals rank 30th in the league for walks this season (174).
- The Royals rank 29th in the league for runs scored this season (249).
Royals vs Rangers Prediction
The Rangers are 8-3 in their last 11 meetings against the Royals, and are 3-2 in their last 5 meetings in Texas. Under is 4-1-1 in their last 6 meetings. Both teams have identical overall records, but Texas has been strong at home, while Kansas City is below average on the road. Both pitchers have been solid this season with a combined 6.28 ERA, and both teams also have top-10 bullpens in the league. Both teams are 91-52 to the under combined this season, as they have bottom-5 offenses, with 7.1 runs per game combined. In this Royals vs Rangers Prediction, I expect a low-scoring affair today, so give me the under in this one.