The Tampa Bay Rays (51-41) open the second half against the Kansas City Royals'(36-56) Friday with the first game of a 3-game set at Kauffman Stadium. First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Rays vs. Royals odds with MLB picks and predictions.
Season series: This is their first meeting of the season.
Tampa has been consistently above average at 6-4, 11-9 and 16-14 over the last 10, 20 and 30 games, respectively. The Rays are 2nd in the AL East and figure to battle it out for an AL Wild Card as the season progresses. They have been great at home at 31-18 with a 20-23 mark on the road.
The Royals have played inspired ball despite being without 3 of their best players in C Salvador Perez, 2B Whit Merrifield and SS Adalberto Mondesi. Kansas City was 15-15 over its last 30 games but has dropped 4 of its last 6, and Merrifield’s absence is sure to continue to sting.