Texas Rangers vs
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Kansas City Royals Set to Face Texas Rangers in Crucial Wild Card Race Showdown

The Texas Rangers will face off against the Kansas City Royals in a significant American League matchup on Thursday, Aug. 21. The Rangers, currently in third place in the AL West, are five games back of a wild card spot. Meanwhile, the Royals, just 2.5 games back of the wild card spot, have won five of their last six games. The Rangers are set to start Patrick Corbin, while the Royals will start Michael Lorenzen. The game is scheduled to begin at 2:10 P.M. EST. Read on for our prediction and analysis.

Betting Odds

• Moneyline: Rangers +101 | Royals -116
• Spread: Rangers +1.5 (-205) | Royals -1.5 (+173)
• Total: Over/Under 9 (-110)
• Based on the moneyline, the implied probability that Kansas City will win straight-up is 54%.

Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers currently hold the third place spot in the American League West division with a 63-65 record. They are trailing the divisional leaders, the Astros, by 6.5 games and are five games back of a wild card spot. The team has struggled on the road this season, with a 26-39 record away from home. Despite their recent losses, they did manage to secure a 6-3 win against the Kansas City Royals. For their upcoming game against the Royals, Patrick Corbin will be starting as the left-handed pitcher. Corbin has a 6-9 record with a 4.45 ERA in 23 starts this season. The Rangers are 10-13 in games that Corbin has started. Overall, the team has a .233 batting average this season, ranking them fifth lowest in the league. They have scored the seventh fewest runs and have the sixth fewest hits. The Rangers are hitting .237 on the road and .235 since the All-Star break. In August, they are hitting .240 and .230 against the Royals in four games.

Kansas City Royals

Kansas City Royals are currently in second place in the American League Central division and are actively pursuing a wild card spot, sitting 2.5 games back from the final spot. Despite being 10 games behind the Tigers for first place in the division, the Royals have a solid home record with a 35-30 record. In their recent game, the Royals suffered a 6-3 loss to the Rangers, ending a five-game winning streak. Michael Lorenzen will be starting in the upcoming game for the Royals, boasting a 5-8 record with a 4.43 ERA in 19 starts. The team has won four of Lorenzen's last five starts, and he has a 3.40 ERA in seven home starts. The Royals have a .246 batting average this season, ranking 17th in the league. They have struggled to score runs and hit home runs, but have excelled in hitting doubles. Despite their struggles with runners in scoring position, the Royals are hitting .259 in August and have shown improvement since the All-Star break.

Kansas City Royals Set to Face Texas Rangers in Crucial Wild Card Race Showdown

The Kansas City Royals are currently making strides in the American League standings in pursuit of the final wild card spot, trailing by just 2.5 games following their recent loss to Texas. Despite this setback, there is optimism for a rebound victory on Thursday. Scheduled to lead the Royals is Michael Lorenzen, boasting a 3.40 ERA at home and a positive track record with four wins in his last five starts. In contrast, the Texas Rangers will be relying on Patrick Corbin, who has struggled on the road with a 5.17 ERA and a recent record of three losses in four starts. With the Rangers batting under .235 against Kansas City this season, their matchup against the Royals appears challenging. Therefore, it is advisable to consider backing the Royals for success in this game.

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