MLB wagering interest swings to the Tampa Bay vs Kansas City battle on Monday at Tropicana Field as the Rays try to defend home turf and reward moneyline bettors.

Kansas City puts its faith in starter Luke Hochevar to earn a win and boost his personal mark of 8-8. Getting the ball for the Rays is Jeremy Hellickson, who owns a 10-7 record on the season with a 3.16 ERA.



View Kansas City vs Tampa Bay Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The visitors opened as +-175 moneyline underdogs in this one at most online sportsbooks tracked at Odds Shark. The total opened at 8 for those preferring over under wagers.

Power Rankings:
The Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings have the Rays at No. 8 in the American League and the Royals at No. 9 in the American League heading into this contest.



How They Match Up:
At the plate, Tampa Bay owns the No. 13 ranking for hits in the American League at 8.3 per game. By contrast, the Royals are rated No. 3 in the same category at 9.3 per game.

Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and Tampa Bay has the American League's No. 4-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Royals own the American League's No. 12 mark in runs allowed.

Kansas City was a 4-3 Sportsbook in its last match at home against the Tigers. They won as +110 underdogs, while the total score of 7 made Sportsbooks of UNDER bettors. Kansas City rolled to a 4-3 win against Detroit on Sunday, as Bruce Chen and the Royals' bats led the team to victory at Kauffman Stadium.

The Rays were a 5-4 loser in their most recent outing at home against the Athletics. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Oakland at +157 on the moneyline, while the total score (9) was good news for OVER bettors. The Rays got to extra innings, but lost when they got there against Oakland on Sunday; it was a 5-4 final at Tropicana Field in MLB wagering action.


Kansas City Royals Trends:
When playing on Monday are 1-9
Before playing Tampa Bay are 7-3
After playing Detroit are 3-7
After a win are 5-5

Tampa Bay Rays Trends:
When playing on Monday are 5-5
Before playing Kansas City are 3-7
After playing Oakland are 5-5
After a loss are 6-4

A few Royals at Rays trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Kansas City's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Kansas City's last 10 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Kansas City's last 7 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Kansas City's last 10 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Tampa Bay's last 10 games when playing Kansas City
Tampa Bay is 13-4 SU in its last 17 games when playing at home against Kansas City


Next up:
Kansas City at Tampa Bay, Tuesday, August 9