Tampa Bay will try to be nasty hosts on Saturday when the Kansas City Royals pay a visit to Tropicana Field.

Alex Cobb gets the call for the Tampa Bay Rays and he will try to build on a 6-2 mark. In the other dugout, Jeremy Guthrie brings a 7-3 ledger to the game for the Royals as he tries to quiet the Rays bats.



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 +-159 at most sportsbooks, including Sportsbook. Total bettors saw the number open in the area of 8.5, check for updates at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings:
The Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings have the Rays at No. 4 in the American League and the Royals at No. 3 in the American League heading into 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. 4-rated offensive output, at 8.8 hits per game. The Royals average 8.8 hits per game, good for No. 8 on the American League list.

Defensively, Kansas City features the American League's No. 3-rated defense on the road, allowing 3.6 runs per game. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, comes in at No. 3 in the American League at home, scoring 5 runs per game.

The Royals were a 7-2 Sportsbook in their most recent outing on the road against the Rays. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Kansas City at +151 on the moneyline, while the total score (9) was good news for OVER bettors. The Royals enjoyed a 7-2 victory at the expense of the Rays on Friday, with Luis Mendoza throwing 6 innings of 6-hit ball at Tropicana Field.




Kansas City Royals Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 7-3
Before playing Tampa Bay are 7-3
After playing Tampa Bay are 8-2
After a win are 7-3

Tampa Bay Rays Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 4-6
Before playing Kansas City are 4-6
After playing Kansas City are 4-6
After a loss are 5-5

A few Royals at Rays trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Kansas City's last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay
Kansas City is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games
Kansas City is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Kansas City's last 15 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games when playing Kansas City
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games at home
Tampa Bay is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games when playing at home against Kansas City


Next up:
Kansas City at Tampa Bay, Sunday, June 16