Rubber Game in Texas
The Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers are down to rubber game of their three-game series. Thursday’s game could go either way, but both teams could use the momentum as they move into their respective weekend series. Kansas City has the upper hand after taking game two in pretty convincing fashion while getting a strong showing from their bullpen.
Let’s check the latest MLB picks, stats, injury reports, and MLB odds for Royals vs Rangers. We’ve plenty of MLB predictions.
Royals Rely on Bullpen To Bring Home Win
The Kansas City Royals relied on the strong performance from their bullpen on a night when they needed a strong showing. Relievers Gabe Speier and Joel Payamps combined for five innings of work to open the game, allowing the Royals to jump out to a three-run lead.
Four more relief pitchers managed to work the sixth through the ninth innings, surrendering only two runs and holding on for an 8-2 win over the Rangers on Wednesday night. The win finally pushed the Royals into double-digit wins on the season and broke a three-game losing streak. Now, the Royals need to go on a streak of their own.
Jon Heasley was just called up from Triple-A Omaha, where he has spent the first month of the season. The team’s No. 9 prospect will be looking to make a splash in his fourth career start in front of his hometown crowd in Arlington, Texas. Heasley was 1-1 in 2021 with 4.91 ERA in three starts at the end of last season.
Rangers: Inconsistency Continues
Just when the Texas Rangers seem to show some semblance of life, they can’t seem to put anything together to back it up the next day. On Tuesday, the Rangers put up six runs and the pitching staff did a great job keeping the Royals on their heels to win the series open. One day later, the Rangers couldn’t get anything going against the bullpen staff of the Royals, who pitched the entire game.
The Rangers collected only six hits on Wednesday night and only had two chances to score runs with runners in scoring position, in which they did not convert. Their only two bright spots in the 8-2 loss were Brad Miller’s pinch-hit solo home run and Corey Seager’s ninth-inning solo shot.
The Rangers will send lefty Taylor Hearn to the mound in the series finale. Hearn has yet to get past the fifth inning in any of his five starts this season. The offense needs to step and give him some run support and the bullpen needs to be ready on standby.
Royals vs Rangers Head-to-Head
In 2021, the Rangers took the season series over the Royals 4-2. The Rangers managed to win their four games by a fair margin, but it seemed that all six games in the season series were high-scoring affairs.
Royals vs Rangers Game Information
- Game: Royals (10-18) vs Rangers (12-17)
- Location: Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX
- Day/Time: Thursday, 8:05 p.m. ET
- Royal vs Rangers Live Stream: MLB.tv
Royals vs Rangers Betting Lines
Royals vs Rangers Prediction
The Texas Rangers are once again the favorite by the scorebooks, but there might be some other things to take into consideration. The Rangers have not shown enough consistency and are looking to get on a bit of a roll.
Starting pitcher Heasley will be the key for the Royals on Thursday. Pitching in front of his hometown crowd, the adrenaline will be flowing and the young gun will be looking to prove himself against the Rangers. Watch the MLB lines for a strong showing from this young pitcher.
When you bet online, take the moneyline on the Royals at +124 in Heasley’s season debut.
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