The red-hot Tampa Bay Rays host the last place Kansas City Royals Thursday night in the first of a three-game series. Tampa Bay will be looking for their fifth consecutive win while Kansas City will try to avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season.
The MLB odds heavily favor the Rays who pay -260 while the Royals pay +220. The over/under is 8.5.
After a remarkable 2008 season that led to a World Series appearance, the Tampa Bay Rays struggled coming out of the gate last year. Their 9-14 April put them in a hole they never fully got out of and they eventually missed the postseason. This year, however, Tampa Bay has not repeated that mistake and has already set a club record for April victories. With a 16-5 record (7-4 home), Tampa Bay has the best record in the majors.
Tampa has been the beneficiaries of exceptional pitching and offense. They are third in the AL in team ERA (3.34) and first in the AL in runs (131). Standout third basemen Evan Longoria has been great over the past 5 games, batting 9 for 20. Overall, he is hitting .325 with a .958 OPS.
The Kansas City Royals (8-13, 4-5 away) are tied with the Chicago White Sox for last place in the AL Central. Their offense has put up some good numbers, but they have struggled to translate that into runs. They currently lead the AL in hits and are third in OPS but are in 8th place for runs.
Matt Garza (3-1, 2.17 ERA), coming off of his first loss of the season, will start for Tampa Bay. He was exceptional in his first three starts, lasting 8 innings in each and giving up a combined two earned runs. His streak ended on April 22 against Toronto, however, when he gave up five earned runs in a five-inning loss. He will also be looking for his first win against the Royals, against whom he is 0-4 with a 4.21 ERA in six starts.
Luke Hochevar (2-0, 3.55 ERA) will start for the Royals. He is coming off of a 6 2/3 no decision against Minnesota in which he gave up eight hits and five runs. He is 0-1 with a 6.46 ERA in three starts against Tampa Bay.
