Kauffman Stadium hosts an MLB battle between the Kansas City Royals and the visiting Tampa Bay Rays on Monday.

Kansas City hands the ball to starter Jeremy Guthrie in this one and he'll try to improve on his 12-10 mark on the year. Tampa Bay counters with Jeremy Hellickson, who will try to quiet the fans and the Royals bats at the same time.



View Tampa Bay vs Kansas City Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Bettors looking to back visiting Tampa Bay before the first pitch in this match found them as +-118-moneyline underdogs earlier today at Sportsbook. They saw the total of 8.5 earlier at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings:
According to new MLB Power Rankings here, it's the American League No. 4-ranked Royals and the American League No. 5-rated Rays in this matchup.



How They Match Up:
At the plate, Kansas City owns the No. 7 ranking for hits in the American League at 8.8 per game. By contrast, the Rays are rated No. 6 in the same category at 8.9 per game.

Kansas City owns the American League's No. 2 defense, allowing 3.9 men per game to cross the plate. That contrasts with Tampa Bay's American League No. 5-rated defense.

Last time out for Tampa Bay, they were a 3-2 loser as they battled the Yankees at home. Moneyline bettors who got the Yankees at +146 were rewarded, while the 5 combined runs moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. The Rays got to extra innings, but lost when they got there against New York on Sunday; it was a 3-2 final at Tropicana Field in MLB wagering action.

Kansas City won its last outing, a 6-4 result against the Nationals on August 25. Bettors who backed the Royals at -128 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (10) sent OVER bettors to the payout window. Kansas City looks to continue its winning ways following a victory last time out against the Nationals, a 6-4 final on Sunday in support of Ervin Santana at Kauffman Stadium.


Tampa Bay Rays Trends:
When playing on Monday are 5-5
Before playing LA Angels are 7-3
After playing NY Yankees are 6-4
After a loss are 4-6

Kansas City Royals Trends:
When playing on Monday are 6-4
Before playing Minnesota are 7-3
After playing Washington are 4-6
After a win are 6-4

A few Rays at Royals trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Tampa Bay's last 7 games when playing Kansas City
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Tampa Bay's last 8 games
Tampa Bay is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Tampa Bay's last 19 games when playing on the road against Kansas City
Kansas City is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Kansas City's last 7 games when playing Tampa Bay
Kansas City is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Kansas City's last 19 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay


Next up:
Tampa Bay home to LA Angels, Tuesday, August 27
Kansas City at Minnesota, Tuesday, August 27