KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JUNE 25: Josh Lowe #15 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates with teammates after defeating the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on June 25, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Kyle Rivas/Getty Images)
The Tampa Bay Rays will look to keep the ball rolling when they face the Kansas City Royals this afternoon. Tampa Bay has already won two consecutive series, with the opportunity to complete the sweep against the Royals here. Meanwhile, Kansas City has had a rough go of things lately, losing its last four straight games. This streak comes on the heels of a separate six-game losing streak, making this game an important opportunity for the Royals to staunch the bleeding.
One factor that might help Kansas City in this contest is the fact that Shane Baz is on the mound for the Rays. Baz has produced mediocre statistics through his 15 starts this season, but one of the lowlights came during an earlier start against the Royals. Kansas City's offense produced one of its best showings of the year when it tagged Baz for seven runs over five frames of work. Baz will need a much better performance if the Rays are to complete their sweep.
On the other side, Royals starter Michael Lorenzen has not been a whole lot better than Baz on the season. The veteran is the owner of a 4.81 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP, numbers that indicate how mediocre he has been through 15 starts. However, Lorenzen's history against the Rays is a rare bright spot, seeing as his April start against Tampa Bay featured six innings of one-run pitching. Lorenzen also has the advantage of pitching on his home field in this contest, opening the door for a good performance from the righty.
Spread
- Rays -1.5 (+126)
- Royals +1.5 (-144)
Moneyline
- Rays -127
- Royals +112
Totals
- OVER 10 (-100)
- UNDER 10 (-108)
*The above data was collected on June 26, 2025, and may have changed since writing.
Rays vs Royals Betting Trends
- The Rays are 42-38 ATS this season.
- The Rays are 21-9 ATS when playing on the road.
- The UNDER is 45-32-3 in Tampa Bay's games this season.
- The Royals are 13-27 ATS when playing at home.
- The Royals are 22-19 ATS in games following a loss.
- The UNDER is 48-31-1 in Kansas City's games this year.
Rays vs Royals Injury Reports
Tampa Bay Rays
- Ha-Seong Kim, SS - Out.
- Richie Palacios, OF - Out.
- Manuel Rodriguez, RP - Out.
Kansas City Royals
- Michael Massey, DH - Out.
Rays vs Royals Predictions and Picks
Kevin Vallego of Winners and Whiners writes, "Tampa Bay has lost four of the last six head-to-head against Kansas City. KC has been in a downward spiral of late, including losing the first game of this series, but has a starting pitcher on the mound who performed well the last time he faced the Rays. Kansas City is 4th in ERA, while Tampa Bay is 8th.
Tampa Bay starting pitcher Shane Baz was roughed up in his most recent outing, giving up four hits in just 5.1 innings. Baz struck out six but walked four. Baz faced Kansas City on May 1 and gave up nine hits and seven runs in an 8-2 loss to the Royals. Kansas City starter Michael Lorenzen has had three consecutive solid outings, allowing 10 hits and seven runs in 17.1 innings. Lorenzen faced Tampa Bay on April 29, allowing just four hits and one run in 6.0 innings with Kansas City winning 3-1. Prediction: Kansas City Royals."
