Published May 29, 7:44pm ET by
Paul Lebowitz - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated May 29, 7:44pm ET
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Updated May 29, 7:44pm ET
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| Texas Rangers | -120 |
| Kansas City Royals | +109 |
The Royals are trying to make the long climb back to .500 and, they hope, get into contention in the AL Central.
KC starts one of its top starters, Seth Lugo. Lugo has had two straight solid starts after two bad starts. For the season, he has a 1.1 bWAR and a 3.74 ERA. In 65 innings, he's allowed 67 hits and 27 earned runs, walking 23 and striking out 54.
The righty has been shaky at times for the whole season, giving up crooked numbers in three separate starts, the worst being on April 26 against the Angels, allowing 14 hits and 7 earned runs in 6.1 innings.
Except for Bobby Witt Jr., the Royals' offense has been pathetic. Salvador Perez, Vinnie Pasquantino, Michael Massey, Isaac Collins, Kyle Isbel, Jac Caglianone, and Carter Jensen all have an OPS below .700. With an unproductive offense and a bad bullpen, it's not hard to discern why the Royals are double-digits below .500.
The Royals have never faced Kumar Rocker before.
Kumar Rocker was selected in the 1st round of the MLB Draft in consecutive years. The Mets took him in 2021, but concerns about his health led the club to walk away from him. The Rangers took him 3rd overall in 2022.
He was up and down in his first two seasons in the majors. This season, however, he's made 10 appearances (9 starts) and posted a respectable 3.96 ERA. In 50 innings, he's allowed 46 hits and 22 earned runs, walking 22 and striking out 42.
His last start against the Astros was shaky. But in the two starts before that, he went a combined 12.2 innings, allowed 6 hits, and no runs.
Like the Royals, the Rangers are struggling at the plate. Josh Jung has an OPS approaching .840. Brandon Nimmo is at around .760. Joc Pederson is at around .775. Ezequiel Duran is close to .800. They are without Josh Smith and Corey Seager, both on the injured list. Jake Burger has double-digits in home runs, but an OPS under .700.
As a team, they are under .500, but have the advantage of a very winnable AL West, a division that might only take 84 wins or so to be crowned champion.
Against Lugo, Danny Jansen is 1 for 3 with a home run. Pederson is 2 for 19 with a home run. Alejandro Osuna is 1 for 5 with a single. Burger is 0 for 6. Evan Carter is 0 for 4. Duran is 0 for 2.
Both teams need to pile up some wins to be taken seriously as a potential playoff team. Neither is hitting much, but the Rangers have a better chance of turning the team around than the Royals do.
Lugo has been so-so this season and Rocker is showing marked improvement. In this matchup, the Rangers will get to Lugo and Rocker will again pitch well to get Texas the win.
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Pick
Texas Rangers -120
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