The Kansas City Royals look to emerge victorious in MLB odds action as the Rays arrive at Kauffman Stadium on Thursday.

Fausto Carmona, with a record of 1-4 on the season, gets the ball for the Rays, while the Royals trot Ervin Santana to the mound in this one. He is 3-1 so far in 2013.



View Tampa Bay vs Kansas City Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Those going with the Royals in this one found them listed as moneyline favorites of -147 at Sportsbook for Monday's contest. The total was hovering near 8.5 at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings:
This game puts the Royals, most recently No. 2 in the American League Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings, up against the Rays, who rate an American League No. 6 in the latest survey.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Kansas City's No. 7-rated American League offense, averaging 4.5 runs per game, against a Rays defense that ranks No. 7 in the American League at 4.2 in runs allowed per game. The Royals have averaged 9.2 hits per game so far, more than Rays batters have averaged on the year (8 hits per game).

Comparing defensive stats, Tampa Bay owns the American League's No. 11-rated road mark, allowing 4.8 runs per game on the highway. Kansas City, on the other hand, rates No. 9 in scoring at home.

The Rays were a 9-8 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Royals. That made winners of bettors who got Kansas City at +102 on the moneyline, while the total score (17) was good news for OVER bettors. Tampa Bay suffered a 9-8 loss against Kansas City on Wednesday, as Jeremy Hellickson wasn't able to lead his team to victory at Kauffman Stadium.




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

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

A few Rays at Royals trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Tampa Bay's last 19 games when playing on the road against Kansas City
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Tampa Bay's last 22 games when playing 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 4 of Kansas City's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Kansas City's last 5 games at home
Kansas City is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Tampa Bay


Next up:
Tampa Bay at Colorado, Friday, May 3
Kansas City home to Chi White Sox, Friday, May 3