Kansas City Royals vs Tampa Bay Rays 6/24/2023 Expert Picks, Tips and Odds
On Saturday, June 24, 2023, at 4:10 PM ET, the Kansas City Royals will play the Tampa Bay Rays in MLB action at Tropicana Field in Florida. Thursday night’s series opening saw Kansas City win for the first time in four previous 20 games. The Royals were 16.5 games behind the Twins in the chase for first place in the AL Central with a 21-54 record entering Friday. On Thursday, MJ Melendez (run, two RBI) had three hits for Kansas City, while Maikel Garcia (two runs, two RBI) and Drew Waters each had two. The Royals stole seven bases throughout the game to help make up for the fact that they were only four of 16 teams with runners in scoring position. Waters also blasted his second home run during the contest. Before departing the game, Jose Cuas threw 1.1 innings and allowed 2 runs on 2 hits, 1 walk, and 1 strikeout. Cuas was not, however, a part of the choice. While Scott Barlow (3-2) pitched a flawless ninth inning, allowing just a single hit, no walks, and two strikeouts, he earned his ninth save. Aroldis Chapman (3-2) struck out the side in the eighth to get the win.
Jordan Lyles is starting his 16th game with the Royals as a pitcher in this contest. He has a record of 0-11, a 6.72 ERA, a 1.284 WHIP, 29 walks, and 62 strikeouts while giving up 18 home runs this season in 85.2 innings. In his most recent outing, a Monday away game against the Tigers, Lyles had little influence on the choice. He threw six innings in a game the Royals lost 6-4, surrendering three runs on six hits, one walk, and three strikeouts. In his previous three starts, Lyles has a combined record of 0-2 with a 6.16 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 5 walks, and 9 strikeouts in 19 innings pitched. He is 1-3 with a 5.35 ERA, 1.515 WHIP, 16 walks, and 29 strikeouts in 33.2 innings pitched against them.
- The total went OVER in 4 of the Kansas City Royals’ last 5 matches.
- Kansas City is 3-14 SU in their last 17 outings.
- The Royals are 2-4 SU in their last 6 matches against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Kansas City Royals vs Tampa Bay Rays 6/24/2023 Expert Picks, Tips and Odds
Tampa Bay will aim to make up for dropping the opening game of this series to Kansas City as the game goes on. The Rays are 4.5 games ahead of Baltimore for first place in the AL East with a record of 52-26 as of Friday. Yandy Diaz and Randy Arozarena had three hits for Tampa Bay on Thursday, but it wasn’t enough to win. Francisco Mejia blasted his third home run of the year in a losing effort. Shane McClanahan, who pitched 3.2 innings and left with a back issue after allowing two runs on four hits, two walks, and three strikeouts, had no impact on the result. Pete Fairbanks (0-2) was lost after pitching one inning and allowing one run on one hit, one walk, and two strikeouts.
Yonny Chirinos will take the mound for the Rays in his eleventh appearance and fourth start of the year. He has a 3-2 record, a 2.72 ERA, a 1.023 WHIP, 14 walks, and 20 strikeouts in 43 innings thrown this season. Chirinos struggled in his most recent start, a road game on Sunday against the Padres. In 4.2 innings of work, he gave up five runs (three earned) on six hits, two walks, and three strikeouts in a game the Rays ultimately lost 5-4. Chirinos has made three appearances and has a record of 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, three walks, and nine strikeouts in 14 innings thrown. His 16.2 innings of work against them resulted in a 2-0 record, a 4.32 ERA, a 0.84 WHIP, two walks, and 11 strikeouts.
- The total went OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay’s last 5 games.
- The Tampa Bay Rays are 2-4 SU in their last 6 matches.
- The total went OVER in 7 of Tampa Bay’s last 7 matches at home.
Kansas City Royals vs Tampa Bay Rays. The MLB pick for this game is the Tampa Bay Rays. A perfect storm contributed to the Royals’ victory, even though they lost the opening game of this series. When McClanahan exited in the fourth inning, forcing the Rays to deploy their bullpen, it took seven stolen bases for them to seal the victory. For this game, Lyles will start on the mound; in the majors this season, he won as many games as the Royals did in all 15 of his starts. He also had multiple run defeats in 13 of his 15 starts. Tampa Bay will want vengeance following their loss on Thursday, and Wander Franco will undoubtedly be involved this time. In this game, take the Rays because they will win easily by taking advantage of Lyles’ inability to keep the ball in the park. The Tampa Bay Rays will triumph, with a score prediction of 8-3.
MLB Starting Time: 4:10 PM ET
Location: Tropicana Field, FL
Date: Saturday, June 24, 2023
TV: Bally Sports Sun
MLB Odds: Kansas City Royals +241
MLB Totals: 9
