NEWSLETTER
Seth Lugo will take the mound for the Kansas City Royals (32-19) when they visit starter Shawn Armstrong and the Tampa Bay Rays (25-26) on Friday, with first pitch at 6:50 PM ET.
If you’re intending to watch this game, keep reading for TV and streaming options for the Kansas City-Tampa Bay matchup.
When is Royals vs. Rays and when does it start?
Where to watch Royals vs. Rays
The Royals and Rays will hit the field at Tropicana Field for this matchup on May 24, and if you’d like to see the action live, get your tickets now from Vivid Seats!
What channel is the game on?
You can catch this game live on BSSUN.
Watch the Royals vs. Rays live stream on Fubo
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Royals vs. Rays Game Preview
Royals Stats, Odds & Insights
The Royals have won 72.7% of the games this season when they were the moneyline favorite (16-6).
Kansas City averages one home run per game to rank 17th in baseball with 50 total home runs .
The Royals’ .409 slugging percentage ranks eighth-best in MLB.
Kansas City’s 3.41 team ERA ranks eighth across all MLB pitching staffs.
The Royals have the 12th-ranked WHIP in baseball (1.239).
Rays Stats, Odds & Insights
This season, the Rays have won nine out of the 17 games, or 52.9%, in which they’ve been the underdog.
Tampa Bay’s 42 home runs rank 24th in Major League Baseball.
The Rays rank 25th in the majors with a .359 team slugging percentage.
Tampa Bay has pitched to a 4.38 ERA this season, which ranks 22nd in baseball.
The Rays have a combined WHIP of 1.246 as a pitching staff, which ranks 13th in MLB.
Royals Starter Recent Performance: Seth Lugo
| Opponent | Date | IP | H | R | ER | K | BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs. Athletics | May 18 | 5.2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 1 |
| at Angels | May 12 | 8.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| vs. Brewers | May 7 | 6.2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| at Blue Jays | May 1 | 7.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 2 |
| at Tigers | April 26 | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 |
Rays Starter Recent Performance: Shawn Armstrong
| Opponent | Date | IP | H | R | ER | K | BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs. Red Sox | May 22 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| at Red Sox | May 15 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| at Red Sox | May 14 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| vs. Yankees | May 12 | 0.2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| vs. Yankees | May 10 | 1.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Royals Key Players to Watch
Lugo gets the start for the Royals, his 11th of the season. He is 7-1 with a 1.79 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 65 1/3 innings pitched.
In his most recent appearance on Saturday, the righty went 5 2/3 innings against the Oakland Athletics, giving up two earned runs while surrendering six hits.
The 34-year-old has put up an ERA of 1.79, with 8 strikeouts per nine innings, in 10 games this season. Opponents are batting .212 against him.
Bobby Witt Jr. has been key for Kansas City with 61 hits, an OBP of .365 plus a slugging percentage of .551.
Salvador Perez is batting .337 with nine home runs and 39 RBI, all three of which rank first for Kansas City this season.
Maikel Garcia has 54 hits this season and a slash line of .266/.311/.429.
Rays Key Players to Watch
The Rays’ Armstrong (1-1) will make his fourth start of the season.
The right-hander’s last appearance came in relief on Wednesday when he threw one scoreless inning out of the bullpen against the Boston Red Sox without allowing a hit.
The 33-year-old has pitched in 18 games this season with an ERA of 4.03 and 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings, with an opponent batting average of .244.
Isaac Paredes leads the Rays with nine home runs and 28 runs batted in, while racking up a team-best batting average of .308.
Yandy Diaz is batting .255 with nine doubles, four home runs and 18 walks.
Jose Caballero has eight doubles, a triple, two home runs and 10 walks while batting .263.
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