The Royals are playing like it's 2023 all over again, dropping six straight and eight of nine to fall from contention in the AL Central. KC has also lost the last four starts made by Seth Lugo, who deserved a better fate after pitching 5 2/3 shutout innings vs. the Yankees in his last start, but Lugo is also one of those potentially distracting contact situations which could see him put on the block at the trade deadline. Meanwhile, the Rangers are moving in the opposite direction with wins in four straight and seven of eight to get back to .500, while Vandy man Jack Leiter has at least been getting to the middle innings in recent starts. Play Rangers on the Money Line.

The Royals have scored just 11 runs during their six-game skid. I bet the surging Rangers at home, as they should get to K.C. starter Seth Lugo. Despite his strong performance last time out, Lugo has an expected ERA of 5.34 and has given up an expected slugging percentage of .515. Over the past seven days, the Rangers own an OPS of .879 (third-best) while the Royals sport an OPS of .545 (fifth-worst). Texas rookie starter Jack Leiter has been better at home with a 3.54 ERA.

Texas has won the last five meetings with the Royals, but they come in here at opposite ends of the spectrum, with the Royals on a six-game losing streak, scoring just 11 runs, while the Rangers have won four straight with a rock-solid bullpen. The Rangers are the best under team in MLB, staying under 48 games, or 67.6% of their games. On the mound tonight, we have Seth Lugo for the Royals going against right-handed Jack Leiter. The Rangers have had a couple of offensive outbursts while winning seven of their last eight games, but they still only average 6.99 a game, and the Royals average 6.97. Under is the play.