The Kansas City Royals have made the World Series in two consecutive seasons and are the defending world champions, but if they don’t turn it on soon, they will be on the outside looking in at the playoffs. Injuries have hit the reigning titlists hard, and a road matchup with the AL West-leading Texas Rangers on Thursday, July 28th, 2016 won’t be an easy one as Kansas City hopes to turn around its fortunes in MLB betting.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
The Royals have a record of 48-49 on the season and their offense has been the worst in the American League this season. Kansas City suffered a big setback in the season when a collision between third baseman Mike Moustakas and outfield Alex Gordon put Moustakas on the disabled list for the rest of the season and forced Gordon to miss a big chunk of time. The Royals have not been able to make up for those absences and are currently in third place in the American League Central and several games out of wild card contention.
The Rangers’ fortunes have been much better. They have dealt with key injuries as well but have a deeper team and are leading their division with a record of 58-42. The Houston Astros are on their tail so Texas must continue to string together wins in order to win the American League West title.The Rangers have one of the most potent offenses in the major leagues, and they play in a offense-friendly ballpark, so they could score several runs in this one.
PROBABLE PITCHERS
The Rangers have the better offense and send the better starting pitcher to the mound, so they should certainly be the favorites against the Royals. Left-hander Cole Hamels is 11-2 this season with a 2.87 ERA. He was acquired to be the ace of the pitching staff along with Yu Darvish and has delivered on that promise. Hamels hasn’t allowed an earned run in his past two outings and will be a tough pitcher for the Royals offense to handle.
The Royals will counter with right-hander Yordano Ventura, a pitcher with good stuff who hasn’t always been able to harness it. Ventura is just 6-8 with a 4.99 ERA, although he has been pretty good lately. Ventura left his last start early after taking a ground ball to the ribs, but said he was fine and isn’t expected any lingering effects. Ventura has the type of stuff to shut down any lineup, but he has not been able to put it altogether in 2016, and therefore can’t be counted on against a tough Texas lineup.
LIVE BETTING
The leading hitter for the Rangers is outfielder Ian Desmond, who is batting .310 with 19 homers, 60 RBIs and a .884 OPS on the season. Third baseman Adrian Beltre, outfielder Nomar Mazara and infielder Rougned Odor have been other key pieces. The Rangers are currently without outfielder Shin Soo Choo and designated hitter Prince Fielder, but youngsters like Mazara, Odor and Jurickson Profar have stepped in seamlessly and kept the team on top.
The Royals have been led by first baseman Eric Hosmer, who is batting .292 with 13 homers and 54 RBIs, while catcher Salvador Perez has added a .276 average with 15 homers and 45 RBIs. While there have been a few bright spots, the Royals as a whole have not had the depth needed offensively because of the injury to Moustakas and a down season from Gordon. Kansas City needs some young players to step up but don’t have the type of farm system that the Rangers do.
QUICK PICK
The Royals may have been to the World Series the past two seasons, but they aren’t playing at that caliber in 2016. The Rangers have the better pitcher starting the game, the better offense and the home park advantage. It all combines for an easy decision, as Texas will certainly be the favorite in this matchup in MLB betting.
MLB Odds: Rangers 5, Royals 3
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