Royals on Two-Game Losing Streak
The Kansas City Royals try to avoid a three-game losing streak when they host the Texas Rangers in the first of a three-game series on Monday night. Texas has dropped two of its last three, including a 6-4 loss on Sunday to the Washington Nationals, and is in second place in the American League West, 10½ games behind the first-place Houston Astros.
Kansas City lost the final two games of its series with the Oakland Athletics and is in last place in the AL Central. These two teams played a tight series in May, so as you’re deciding how you want to bet online on this contest, read our in-depth preview.
Let’s check the latest MLB picks, stats, injury reports and MLB odds for Texas Ranger vs City Royals. We’ve plenty of MLB predictions.
Rangers Try to String Together Wins
The Texas Rangers are well out of first place in the AL West, but they’d like to make a run at either a division crown or a playoff berth. To do that, they’ll need to start being more consistent, and taking on a last-place team is certainly the time to start doing that.
Left-hander Martin Perez will be on the mound for his 15th start. Perez is fourth in baseball with a 1.96 ERA, putting together a 5-2 record with 71 strikeouts in 87.1 innings. Perez is coming off six shutout innings against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday, allowing six hits while striking out six and walking three.
Catcher Jonah Heim had a home run and three RBIs in Sunday’s loss to the Washington Nationals. Heim is batting .246 with nine doubles, 10 home runs, 29 RBIs and 24 runs scored in 52 games.
Outfielder Adolis Garcia comes into Monday’s series opener on an eight-game hitting streak after going 1-for-4 with a run scored on Sunday. Garcia is batting .256 with 12 doubles, three triples, 15 home runs, a team-high 47 RBIs and 45 runs scored.
KC Pitching Staff Getting Taxed
The Kansas City Royals are coming off a series loss to the Oakland Athletics, who possess the worst offense in baseball, and their pitching staff is wearing a little thin. Setup man Josh Staumont went on the injured list with a neck strain on Sunday, causing some difficult decisions for manager Mike Matheny when he wants to go to his bullpen.
“We’ve got some guys that are taking that step, feel like they’ve got the stuff to be able to help us out in higher leverage,” Matheny said prior to Sunday’s loss. “But we keep running through all of them, you just go, ‘Next man up.’”
The Royals will start with left-hander Kris Bubic in the series opener and hope he can give them a solid outing. Bubic is 1-4 with a 7.41 ERA in nine starts and 10 overall appearances. He went six innings in his last start, getting a win over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday by allowing two runs on six hits while striking out seven and walking two.
First baseman Carlos Santana was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs in Sunday’s loss to the Athletics. Santana is batting just .216 with 10 doubles, four home runs, 21 RBIs and 17 runs scored.
Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. continues to make a case for American League Rookie of the Year honors, leading the team with 37 RBIs. The 22-year-old is batting .242 with 16 doubles, five triples, 11 home runs and 40 runs scored.
Rangers vs Royals Head-To-Head
The Texas Rangers took two out of three against the Kansas City Royals when the teams matched up in May. Texas has won the series in each of the last six seasons the teams have played (they didn’t play in the 2020 campaign), including last season’s 4-2 edge.
Kansas City won two of the three matchups against the Rangers at home last season, the first time in six series in Kauffman Stadium that they won the majority of the contests. The MLB lines for Monday’s game are giving the edge to the visiting Rangers.
Rangers vs Royals Game Information
- Game: Texas Rangers (34-37) vs City Royals (26-45)
- Location: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.
- Day/Time: Monday, 8:10 p.m. ET
- Texas Rangers vs City Royals LiveStream: MLB.tv
Rangers vs Royals Betting Lines
| Team | Handicap | Moneyline | Total | Team Total |
| Texas Rangers
M. Perez -L |
-1½ +120 | -133 | 8½ -115o | 4½ -115o
4½ -115u |
| Kansas City Royals
K. Bubic -L |
+1½ -140 | +123 | 8½ -105u | 3½ -125o
3½ -105u |
Rangers vs Royals Prediction
Perez has been nearly untouchable for much of this season, and the Kansas City Royals haven’t been showing much at the plate of late. Look for the Texas Rangers to have more than enough offense to come away with a victory on Monday night.
When making your MLB picks, take Texas to win on the road.
