Bet the Rangers vs Royals Odds With KC Coming Out On Top
Second-Place Teams Clash in Three-Game Weekend Set
The Kansas City Royals try to keep their positive momentum going when they host the Texas Rangers in a three-game weekend series beginning on Friday night. Kansas City has won two in a row heading into this series, which followed a three-game losing skid.
The Royals have been streaky, with a second three-game losing streak and a four-game winning streak comprising the team’s 12 games heading into Friday. Kansas City comes into this series in second place in the AL Central, trailing the Cleveland Guardians by 1.5 games.
Texas has been just as up and down as the Royals, with no streak – winning or losing – of more than two games over its last 21 contests. Despite that, the Rangers are just a half-game behind the first-place Seattle Mariners in the AL West standings.
As you might expect, the Rangers vs Royals odds portend a close series, starting with Friday’s series opener. Texas is the slight underdog on the moneyline, getting -101 odds, while Kansas City is listed at -109. You can get the Rangers at -190 on the run line as they get 1.5 runs, while the Royals are +160 when giving those runs. The over/under for the first game of the series is nine runs, with -110 odds on both sides of that wager.
Friday’s series opener is set for a 7:40 p.m. ET start, followed by a 7:10 p.m. ET first pitch for Saturday’s contest. The series finale will be played at 2:10 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Rangers vs Royals 
Location: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Day/Time:
Pitching Matchups
Game 1: Michael Lorenzen (Texas) vs Brady Singer (Kansas City)
The Rangers will have righty Michael Lorenzen making his fourth start of the season on Friday, as he’s coming off his worst outing of the 2024 campaign. Lorenzen is 2-1 with a 4.24 ERA, but he went six innings against the Cincinnati Reds in his last start, giving up five runs on six hits while striking out three and walking one.
Right-hander Brady Singer makes the Royals one of the best MLB picks today, as he brings a 2-1 record and 2.62 ERA to the mound for his seventh start of the season. Singer has been very good in 2024 outside of one outing, as he’s allowed a total of 10 earned runs in 34.1 innings, with five of those coming in one start. His last outing was a five-inning stint against the Detroit Tigers last Saturday, as he allowed one run on four hits, striking out six.
Game 2: Dane Dunning (Texas) vs Michael Wacha (Kansas City)
The second game of the series will see Texas handing the ball to righty Dale Dunning for his seventh start of the season. Dunning is 3-2 with a 4.13 ERA and is coming off a solid performance against the Reds last Sunday. In that contest, Dunning went 5.1 innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits while striking out 10 and walking none.
Veteran right-hander Michael Wacha will take the mound for Kansas City on Saturday, bringing a 1-3 record and 4.24 ERA. Wacha has struggled over his last four starts, allowing 15 earned runs over 22 innings. He faced the Tigers last Sunday and went 5.2 innings, giving up four runs on nine hits, including two home runs, taking a loss for the third time in four starts.
Game 3: Jon Gray (Texas) vs Undecided (Kansas City)
Right-hander Jon Gray is near the top of the MLB rankings in ERA this season, sitting at 19th with a 2.48 ERA to go with a 1-1 record. Gray will make his eighth appearance (seventh start) of the season on Sunday looking for a seventh straight outing allowing one or fewer earned runs. He would be higher in the rankings if not for a season-opening start that saw him allow five earned runs over 3.2 innings against the Chicago Cubs.
The Royals are still trying to determine who should start the series finale. The rotation spot had been taken by righty Jonathan Bowlan in the last go-round, but he gave up four runs on six hits over just 2.2 innings to the Toronto Blue Jays. It was the 27-year-old’s second major league start, and the team isn’t sure it wants to give him a third.
Who Can Score More?
Neither of these teams is scoring a lot of runs this season, as they rank 13th (Kansas City) and 14th (Texas) in the majors in runs heading into this series. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some individuals who could get hot and carry their teams in this three-game set.
Texas outfielder Adolis Garcia comes into this series on a four-game hitting streak, batting .292 on the season. Garcia is tied for fifth in baseball with eight home runs and tied for fourth in RBI with 25, but he can’t carry the whole team. Garcia also has seven doubles and 19 runs scored, though he’s also had at least one strikeout in eight straight games.
Royals catcher Salvador Perez has been hot at the plate, tying for third in the majors in batting average at .355 and ranking third in RBI with 27. The 33-year-old has five doubles, seven home runs, and 14 runs scored. He and shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (.320, four home runs, 18 RBI) form a solid 1-2 punch, which might get Kansas City into some MLB rumors of trading for offensive help as the season goes on.
Royals Get Series Win At Home
Texas has been extremely inconsistent this season, though it has been getting some solid pitching to keep it near the top of the AL West. The Rangers are just 7-6 when playing on the road this season, and that record will take a hit in this series.
The Royals get on hot streaks, and we anticipate them continuing their current streak with a couple of wins in this series. Kansas City at home is 12-5 in 2024, making it our pick to come away this series with the majority of the wins.
Rangers vs Royals Odds
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