The visiting Royals hope for a solid performance on Thursday as they look to steal a win at Tropicana Field against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Rays will rely on Jeremy Hellickson to turn in a quality outing on the mound in this one, while Ervin Santana will be his counterpart for the Royals. Jeremy Hellickson is 4-2 this season, and Ervin Santana is 4-5.



View Kansas City vs Tampa Bay Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Those who planned on backing the visitors in this one found the Royals listed as underdogs of +-136 at most sportsbooks, including Sportsbook. Total bettors saw the number open in the area of 8, check for updates at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings:
The MLB Power Rankings at Odds Shark show the American League's No. 3-rated Royals taking on the American League's No. 4-rated Rays in this contest.



How They Match Up:
Rating these teams in several key categories is important for handicappers and Tampa Bay has the American League's No. 3-rated offensive output, at 8.9 hits per game. The Royals average 8.7 hits per game, good for No. 9 on the American League list.

Comparing defensive stats, Kansas City owns the American League's No. 3-rated road mark, allowing 3.8 runs per game on the highway. Tampa Bay, on the other hand, rates No. 2 in scoring at home.

Last time out for Kansas City, they were a 3-2 Sportsbook as they battled the Tigers at home. Moneyline bettors who got the Royals at +109 were rewarded, while the 5 combined runs moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. Kansas City won a close affair on Wednesday in their last outing, defeating Detroit 3-2 in extra innings at Kauffman Stadium.

Tampa Bay lost its last outing, a 2-1 result against the Red Sox on June 12. Bettors who backed the Red Sox at +130 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (3) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window. The Rays endured a 2-1 loss at the hands of the Red Sox on Wednesday, with Chris Archer throwing 4 innings of 4-hit ball at Tropicana Field.


Kansas City Royals Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 4-6
Before playing Tampa Bay are 5-5
After playing Detroit are 4-6
After a win are 5-5

Tampa Bay Rays Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 2-8
Before playing Kansas City are 6-4
After playing Boston are 4-6
After a loss are 7-3

A few Royals at Rays trends to consider:
Kansas City is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Kansas City's last 13 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Kansas City's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Kansas City's last 10 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Kansas City
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Tampa Bay's last 10 games when playing at home against Kansas City
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Tampa Bay's last 21 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Tampa Bay's last 22 games when playing Kansas City


Next up:
Kansas City at Tampa Bay, Friday, June 14