Rays vs. Royals Prediction, Computer Picks, Odds & Pitching Matchup 8/20/2022

Seeking their 64th win of the year, the Tampa Bay Rays (63-55) are favorites (-212) on the moneyline when they take on the Kansas City Royals (49-72) Saturday at 4:10 PM ET. Tampa Bay’s Drew Rasmussen and Kansas City’s Kris Bubic have been named the starters for this contest.

Rays vs. Royals Spread and Betting Line

Computer Predictions for Rays vs. Royals

We have the Royals on the moneyline at +176 on the moneyline as our best bet in this game after digging through all of the key stats and trends for this matchup. Our computer picks see the scoring going over the total of 7 runs.

Our computer pick: Kansas City Royals (+176) and Over (7)

Rays vs. Royals Game Info

• Tampa Bay Rays probable starting pitcher: Drew Rasmussen
• Kansas City Royals probable starting pitcher: Kris Bubic
• Game Day: Saturday, August 20, 2022
• Game Time: 4:10 PM ET
• Location: St. Petersburg, Florida
• Stadium: Tropicana Field

Tampa Bay Rays vs Kansas City Royals Pitching Matchup

Rays Starter Drew Rasmussen

• Rasmussen (7-4 with a 2.80 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 99 2/3 innings pitched) makes the start for the Rays, his 21st of the season.
• The right-hander’s last appearance came on Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles, when he went 8 1/3 innings, surrendering one earned run while giving up just one hit.
• The 27-year-old has an ERA of 2.80, with 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings, in 20 games this season. Opponents have a .224 batting average against him.
• Rasmussen heads into this matchup with five quality starts under his belt this year.
• Rasmussen has pitched five or more innings in a game 12 times this year heading into this matchup.
• He will take the hill against a Royals offense that ranks 13th in MLB with 992 total hits (on a .244 batting average). The squad also slugs a collective .378 (22nd in MLB) with 102 total home runs (26th in MLB).
• Rasmussen has pitched five innings, giving up one earned run on seven hits while striking out four against the Royals this season.

Royals Starter Kris Bubic

• The Royals’ Bubic (2-7) will make his 20th start of the season.
• The left-hander last pitched on Monday, when he gave up four earned runs and allowed 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings against the Minnesota Twins.
• The 25-year-old has pitched in 20 games this season with an ERA of 5.11 and 7.9 strikeouts per nine innings, with an opponent batting average of .281.
• In 19 starts this season, he’s earned five quality starts.
• Bubic has pitched five or more innings in eight straight games and will look to extend that streak.
• The Rays rank 23rd in MLB with 487 runs scored this season. They have a .237 batting average this campaign with 106 home runs (24th in the league).
• The left-hander has faced the Rays one time this season, allowing them to go 4-for-22 with a double, a home run and two RBI in seven innings.

Rays Betting Picks & Insights

• This season, the Rays have been favored 79 times and won 46, or 58.2%, of those games.
• Tampa Bay has a record of 3-4 in games where bookmakers favor them by at least -212 on the moneyline.
• The Rays have a 67.9% chance to win this game based on the implied probability of the moneyline.
• Tampa Bay’s games have gone over the total in 55 of their 118 chances.
• The Rays are 56-62-0 against the spread this season.

Royals Betting Picks & Insights

• The Royals have come away with 40 wins in the 102 contests they have been listed as the underdogs in this season.
• This season, Kansas City has come away with a win four times in 21 chances when named as an underdog of at least +176 or longer on the moneyline.
• Oddsmakers have implied with the moneyline set for this matchup that the Royals have a 36.2% chance of pulling out a win.
• Contests with Kansas City have gone over the total set by bookmakers in 59 of 124 chances this season.
• In 124 games with a line this season, the Royals have a mark of 58-66-0 against the spread.

Rays Leaders & Batting Stats

• Yandy Diaz is the Rays best hitter thus far this season, hitting at a team-leading .275 clip along with seven homers and 44 RBI.
• Diaz’s home runs place him 192nd in the majors, and he is 112th in RBI.
• Randy Arozarena has hit 16 home runs with 64 runs batted in. Both pace his team.
• Arozarena ranks 54th in home runs and 30th in RBI among all hitters in the majors.
• Arozarena carries a two-game streak with at least one hit into this contest. During his last five outings he is hitting .188 with a double, a home run, four walks and six RBI.
• Harold Ramirez has 17 doubles, five home runs and 16 walks while hitting .328.
• Ramirez has at least one base hit in three straight games. During his last five outings he is batting .313 with a double, a home run and an RBI.
• David Peralta is batting .249 with 21 doubles, three triples, 12 home runs and 29 walks.

Royals Leaders & Batting Stats

• Bobby Witt Jr. paces the Royals with 59 runs batted in while putting up a team-high batting average of .249.
• Witt Jr.’s home run total places him 54th in the big leagues, and he ranks 41st in RBI.
• MJ Melendez is batting .224 with 14 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs and 44 walks.
• Melendez is 78th in homers and 135th in RBI among all hitters in the big leagues.
• Hunter Dozier is batting .241 with 21 doubles, three triples, 10 home runs and 30 walks.
• Salvador Perez has swatted a team- leading 17 home runs.