NEWSLETTER
Isaac Paredes and the Tampa Bay Rays (43-43) visit Bobby Witt Jr. and the Kansas City Royals (48-40) on Thursday in a rubber match, with first pitch at 8:10 PM ET.
See how to watch the Tampa Bay-Kansas City matchup below.
When is Rays vs. Royals and when does it start?
Where to watch Rays vs. Royals
The Rays and Royals will hit the diamond at Kauffman Stadium for this matchup on July 4, and if you’d like to see the game live, get your tickets now from Vivid Seats!
What channel is the game on?
You can catch this game live on BSSUN.
Watch the Rays vs. Royals live stream on Fubo
Free Live Stream Online: Start your free Fubo trial today!
Rays vs. Royals Game Preview
Yesterday, the Royals picked up a 4-2 victory over the Rays, with Michael Wacha (6.0 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 8 K) registering the win for the Royals. Witt finished 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI to lead the offense. Ryan Pepiot (4.0 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 0 K) was credited with the loss for the Rays.
Rays Stats, Odds & Insights
The Rays have won 25 of the 48 games they were the moneyline favorite this season (52.1%).
Tampa Bay has hit 78 home runs this season, the fourth-lowest total in MLB action.
The Rays are 25th in baseball with a .369 slugging percentage.
Tampa Bay has the 22nd-ranked team ERA among all MLB pitching staffs (4.26).
Pitchers for the Rays combine for the 14th-ranked WHIP in MLB (1.250).
Royals Stats, Odds & Insights
The Royals have entered the game as underdogs 51 times this season and won 24, or 47.1%, of those games.
Kansas City ranks 17th in Major League Baseball with 87 home runs.
The Royals are 12th in MLB with a slugging percentage of .401 this season.
Kansas City pitchers have a combined ERA of 3.76 ERA this year, 10th-best in baseball.
Royals pitchers have a 1.261 WHIP this season, 15th in the majors.
Rays Starter Recent Performance: Zach Eflin
| Opponent | Date | IP | H | R | ER | K | BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs. Nationals | June 28 | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| at Pirates | June 22 | 7.0 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
| at Braves | June 16 | 5.2 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
| vs. Cubs | June 11 | 5.2 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| at Marlins | June 5 | 4.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
Royals Starter Recent Performance: Alec Marsh
| Opponent | Date | IP | H | R | ER | K | BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs. Guardians | June 28 | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| at Rangers | June 23 | 5.2 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| at Athletics | June 18 | 3.0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 2 |
| vs. Yankees | June 13 | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
| vs. Mariners | June 8 | 5.0 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0 |
Rays Key Players to Watch
Zach Eflin (4-5 with a 3.92 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 87 1/3 innings pitched) makes the start for the Rays, his 16th of the season.
In his last time out on Friday against the Washington Nationals, the right-hander went six scoreless innings while surrendering four hits.
The 30-year-old has an ERA of 3.92, with 7.1 strikeouts per nine innings, in 15 games this season. Opponents are hitting .259 against him.
Paredes leads Tampa Bay in home runs with 14, runs batted in with 46 and his batting average of .276 is also best on his team.
Yandy Diaz has 92 hits and an OBP of .324 to go with a slugging percentage of .380 this season.
Randy Arozarena has 57 hits this season and a slash line of .197/.305/.355.
Royals Key Players to Watch
The Royals will hand the ball to Alec Marsh (6-5) for his 16th start of the season.
The right-hander’s last start was on Saturday, when he tossed six innings while giving up one earned run on four hits in a matchup with the Cleveland Guardians.
The 26-year-old has pitched to a 4.19 ERA this season with 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings compared to 2.8 walks per nine across 15 games.
Witt has accumulated a team-high batting average of .314 and paces the Royals in runs batted in (56).
Vinnie Pasquantino’s 56 runs batted in lead his team.
Maikel Garcia is hitting .227 with 15 doubles, four triples, five home runs and 27 walks.
Get more MLB picks.
If you are new to sports betting, read our in-depth guide on betting on Baseball and find the best MLB betting sites and promo codes.
