Kansas City Royals at Tampa Bay Rays 8/18/22 - MLB Picks & Predictions

The Kansas City Royals will open a series on the road at Tropicana Field to take on the Tampa Bay Rays. Kansas City is last in the AL Central and doesn’t have a whole lot to be excited about after dropping four of their last five games and dropping to 48-71 on the year. The Rays have won their last four games including two over the Yankees, improving to 62-53 and nine games back of the Yankees.

The Rays' offense leaves a lot to be desired and is 22nd in the league in scoring offense averaging 4.10 runs per game. The left-fielder Randy Arozarena has led this lineup he’s hitting .256 with a team-high 16 home runs and 61 RBIs. Third baseman Yandy Diaz has also had a nice season hitting a team-high .272 and is on pace to draw more walks than any season before.

The Rays have not announced a starter for this game yet, but no matter who it is they’ll be in good hands. The Rays are fourth in the MLB in team ERA at 3.40, they have the most shutouts in the MLB, and the bullpen is loaded up with talent.

Kansas City has struggled at the plate all season long and are 24th in the league in scoring offense averaging just 3.89 runs per game. One of the few bright spots has been the emergence of shortstop Bobby WItt Jr., he leads the Royals with 57 RBIs and has hit 15 home runs in his rookie season. Catcher Salvador Perez has led the way with 17 home runs and is second on the team with 53 RBIs.

The Royals have also not announced a starter for this game yet but has not shared the same success as a pitching staff. Kansas City is 27th in the league in team ERA and has allowed four or more runs in four of their last five games.