Rays vs. Royals Prediction, Odds, Picks - May 1

Bobby Witt Jr. and the Kansas City Royals hit the field on Thursday at George M. Steinbrenner Field against Shane Baz, who will start for the Tampa Bay Rays. First pitch is at 1:10 p.m. ET. The favored Rays have -166 moneyline odds against the underdog Royals, who are listed at +139. Tampa Bay is a 1.5-run favorite (at +134 odds). The total for the contest is set at 8.5 runs.

Here's everything you need to know from a betting perspective on the Rays-Royals game, regarding the run line, moneyline and total, plus expert picks.

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Royals vs. Rays Highlights | MLB on FOX

Check out the best moments between the Kansas City Royals and the Tampa Bay Rays.

Rays vs. Royals Game Information & Odds

• When: Thursday, May 1, 2025 at 1:10 p.m. ET
• Where: George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida
• How to watch on TV: FDSSUN and FDSKC

Rays vs. Royals Prediction

• Score Prediction: Rays 4, Royals 3
• Total Prediction: Under 8.5 runs
• Win Probabilities: Rays 55%, Royals 45%

Rays vs. Royals Betting Insights

• This season, the Rays have won nine out of the 19 games, or 47.4%, in which they've been favored.
• Tampa Bay is 4-2 this season when entering a game favored by -166 or more on the moneyline.
• The implied probability of a win from the Rays, based on the moneyline, is 62.4%.
• The Royals have been chosen as underdogs in 18 games this year and have walked away with the win seven times (38.9%) in those games.
• Kansas City has been listed as an underdog of +139 or more on two occasions this season and split those games.
• Bookmakers have implied with the moneyline set for this matchup that the Royals have a 41.8% chance of pulling out a win.

Rays Recent Betting Performance

• The Rays went 2-2 across the four games they were a moneyline favorite in their last 10 matchups.
• Over their last 10 outings, the Rays and their opponents combined to hit the over on the run total three times (all 10 games had set totals).
• The Rays are 6-4-0 against the spread over their past 10 games.

Rays Recent Stats

Rays Player Insights

• Yandy Diaz is hitting .254 with eight doubles, three home runs and nine walks.
• In all of the majors, Diaz is 111th in homers and 102nd in RBI.
• Diaz brings a hitting streak of two games into this matchup. During his last five outings he is batting .294 with a double, three walks and an RBI.
• Jonathan Aranda's .299 batting average is a team-high mark.
• Aranda is 72nd in homers and 102nd in RBI among all hitters in MLB.
• Junior Caminero has a team-best six home runs.
• Kameron Misner has seven doubles, a triple, three home runs and six walks while batting .320.

Rays Team Props

Royals Recent Betting Performance

• The Royals have played as underdogs in seven of their past 10 games and won five of those contests.
• In their last 10 games with a total, the Royals and their opponents have combined to hit the over two times.
• Over their last 10 games, the Royals are 7-3-0 against the spread.

Royals Recent Stats

Royals Player Insights

• Witt paces the Royals with a .322 batting average.
• Among all batters in the majors, Witt is 157th in homers and 122nd in RBI.
• Witt takes a hitting streak of 21 games into this matchup. During his last 10 outings he is batting .342 with three doubles, three walks and four RBI.
• Maikel Garcia is batting .282 with eight doubles, two home runs and 10 walks.
• Garcia ranks 157th in homers and 159th in RBI among all batters in the big leagues.
• Vinnie Pasquantino has been solid source of run production for the Royals with four long balls and 18 runs batted in.
• Salvador Perez has 10 doubles, two home runs and seven walks while batting .235.

Royals Team Props

Royals vs. Rays Highlights | MLB on FOX

Check out the best moments between the Kansas City Royals and the Tampa Bay Rays.

FOX Sports created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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