The Kansas City Royals battle the visiting Tampa Bay Rays on Friday in MLB betting action at Kauffman Stadium.

The Royals will rely on Luke Hochevar to turn in a quality outing on the mound in this one, while Wade Davis will be his counterpart for the Rays. Luke Hochevar is 5-8 this season, and Wade Davis is 7-6.



View Tampa Bay vs Kansas City Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The visitors opened as -105 moneyline underdogs in this one at most online sportsbooks tracked at Odds Shark. The total opened at 8.5 for those preferring over under wagers.

Power Rankings:
It's a baseball betting matchup between the American League No. 9-rated Royals and the league No. 8-ranked Rays, according to the latest MLB power poll here at Odds Shark.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Kansas City's No. 7-rated American League offense, averaging 4.3 runs per game, against a Rays defense that ranks No. 4 in the American League at 3.8 in runs allowed per game. The Royals have averaged 9.1 hits per game so far, more than Rays batters have averaged on the year (8.2 hits per game).

Comparing defensive stats, Tampa Bay owns the American League's No. 6-rated road mark, allowing 4 runs per game on the highway. Kansas City, on the other hand, rates No. 7 in scoring at home.

Last time out for Tampa Bay, they were a 2-1 Sportsbook as they battled the Yankees at home. Moneyline bettors who got the Rays at +131 were rewarded, while the 3 combined runs moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. Tampa Bay looks to continue its winning ways following a victory last time out against the Yankees, a 2-1 final on Thursday in support of James Shields at Tropicana Field.

In their last action, Kansas City was a 2-1 Sportsbook at home against the White Sox. Bettors on Kansas City at +103 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (3) sent UNDER bettors home happy as well. Kansas City won a close affair on Wednesday in their last outing, defeating Chicago 2-1 in extra innings at Kauffman Stadium.


Tampa Bay Rays Trends:
When playing on Friday are 7-3
Before playing Kansas City are 4-6
After playing NY Yankees are 6-4
After a win are 4-6

Kansas City Royals Trends:
When playing on Friday are 2-8
Before playing Tampa Bay are 5-5
After playing Chi White Sox are 5-5
After a win are 3-7

A few Rays at Royals trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games when playing Kansas City
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games when playing on the road against Kansas City
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games
Tampa Bay is 13-5 SU in its last 18 games when playing Kansas City
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Kansas City's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Kansas City's last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Kansas City's last 5 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Kansas City's last 5 games at home


Next up:
Tampa Bay at Kansas City, Saturday, July 23