Kansas City pays a visit to Tampa Bay on Thursday, hoping to shut down the Rays bats in baseball action at Tropicana Field.

Jeff Niemann will take the mound for Tampa Bay, and he'll carry a 6-4 record into the contest. Danny Duffy gets the ball for Kansas City; he's 3-5 so far this season.



View Kansas City vs Tampa Bay Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Tampa Bay opened as -175 moneyline favorites in this baseball match, based on the starting pitcher matchup. That pairing made odds makers settle on an Sportsbook over under number of 8.5.

Power Rankings:
The Rays - Royals odds would favor the Rays if the lines were set according to our power ranks. Tampa Bay is rated No. 8 in the current American League Odds Shark poll, while Kansas City is at No. 9 in the American League.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Tampa Bay's No. 8 ranked American League offense (4.3 runs per game) against a Royals defense and pitching staff that sits at No. 12 in the American League at 4.8 runs allowed per game. The Rays have been averaging 8.2 hits per game, less than the Royals have managed so far this season (9.3 hits on average).

Comparing defensive stats, Kansas City owns the American League's No. 13-rated road mark, allowing 5.2 runs per game on the highway. Tampa Bay, on the other hand, rates No. 12 in scoring at home.

In their last action, Kansas City was an 8-7 loser on the road against the Rays. Bettors on Tampa Bay at -130 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (15) sent OVER bettors home happy as well. Kansas City didn't get the job done in their last match, falling 8-7 to Tampa Bay on Wednesday at Tropicana Field.




Kansas City Royals Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
Before playing Chi White Sox are 6-4
After playing Tampa Bay are 3-7
After a loss are 6-4

Tampa Bay Rays Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 6-4
Before playing NY Yankees are 5-5
After playing Kansas City are 6-4
After a win are 5-5

A few Royals at Rays trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Kansas City's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Kansas City's last 6 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Kansas City's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Kansas City's last 13 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games when playing at home against Kansas City
Tampa Bay is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Kansas City
Tampa Bay is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Kansas City
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Tampa Bay's last 13 games when playing Kansas City


Next up:
Kansas City at Chi White Sox, Friday, August 12
Tampa Bay at NY Yankees, Friday, August 12