Tampa Bay Rays vs. Kansas City Royals, 5/1/2019 Predictions & Odds

Rays vs. Royals Game 1 Prediction

The Rays and Royals will play a double-header on Wednesday due to a rainout last night in Kansas City. Behind an underrated offense, will the Rays post a runline win for bettors in Game 1 of the double-header at 1:15 p.m. ET?

Game Snapshot & Odds

933 Tampa Bay Rays (-155) at 934 Kansas City Royals (+130); 8.5 runs

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

1:15 p.m. ET, Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO

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Public Betting Trends

According to our MLB Public Betting Chart page, 66% of the betting tickets are on the Rays to beat the Royals on the money line.

Tampa Bay Rays Fantasy Spin

Nate Lowe went 1-for-4 with a double, walk and run scored against the Royals on Monday. Lowe doubled off of Scott Barlow in the eighth inning for his first ever big-league hit in his MLB debut. The 23-year-old has shown the ability to hit for average and power in the minors, and he's also a patient hitter who should draw a decent number of walks. Lowe is worth a speculative add in mixed formats, and he could end up providing you -- and the Rays -- a nice boost.

Kansas City Royals Fantasy Spin

Adalberto Mondesi went 2-for-4 with a two-run triple and a stolen base on Monday in a loss to the Rays. Mondesi also scored a run. The triple scored Whit Merrifield and Martin Maldonado, and it brought the Royals to within two runs at 4-2 in the third. The steal gives Mondesi eight on the year in nine attempts. Mondesi has an ugly 34/6 K/BB ratio, but the amount of hard contact -- along with the speed -- makes him very fantasy relevant; especially at shortstop.

MLB Betting Trends

Tampa Bay

The Rays have won four of Ryne Stanek’s last five starts.

Kansas City

The Royals are 5-2 in Jakob Junis’ last seven home outings.

Prediction:

Junis has above-average strikeout and ground ball rates, but he allows too many home runs and will face a Rays offense that has improved dramatically over the past year. The Rays are 5-0 in their last five games played at Kauffman Stadium and are 13-3 in their last 16 games versus the Royals overall. The combination of Ryne Stanek (opener) and Jalen Beeks should suppress Kansas City’s offense and set up a good opportunity to back Tampa Bay on the runline.

The Pick: Tampa Bay Rays -1.5 (+110)