Some intense weekend baseball action out on the diamond is right around the corner when the Texas Rangers take on the Kansas City Royals. Join us for our MLB odds series where our Rangers-Royals prediction and pick will be made.

The defending champs are coming off wins in three of their previous four games including an impressive showing en route to a 6-0 shutout victory over the Washington Nationals. Overall, Texas hasn't gotten off to the start they were hoping for at 17-5, but they sit only a half-game behind the Seattle Mariners. In line to get the start will be righty Michael Lorenzen who is 2-1 with a 4.24 ERA in three appearances to begin the season.

Meanwhile, the up-and-coming Kansas City Royals have jumped out to a promising start to the 2024 MLB regular season. While there are still more than 125 games to still be played, KC is at least looking the part of an early season playoff contender. After taking two of three at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays at their building, the Royals will return home to battle it out with the reigning World Series champs. Responsible for getting the start on the bump is scheduled to be RHP Brady Singer. So far, Singer is also 2-1 with a rock-solid 2.62 ERA.

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Rangers-Royals Odds

Texas Rangers: -1.5 (+134)

Moneyline: -116

Kansas City Royals: +1.5 (-162)

Moneyline: -102

Over: 9 (-104)

Under: 9 (-118)

How to Watch Rangers vs. Royals

Time: 7:10 ET/4:10 PT

TV: MLB.TV

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Rangers Will Cover The Spread/Win

Despite putting forth up-and-down performances up to this point, this is still an extremely lethal ball club that can turn their championship-like switch on in the blink of an eye. Simply put, it all begins with a stellar outing from hurler Michael Lorenzen. An All-Star as a member of the Detroit Tigers a year ago, Lorenzen decided to take his talents to Texas to help bolster an already formidable pitching staff. Most recently, Texas' pitching arms have only surrendered one run in their previous two games combined and will need Lorenzen to continue that momentum from the mound. At first glance, the Royals are certainly no slouches with the bats, so the Rangers cannot afford to be sleeping on this matchup.

Luckily, outfielder Adolis Garcia may be heating up at the most opportunistic of times. Currently on a four-game hitting streak, Garcia has already hit eight home runs and is an absolute terror at the plate. Without a doubt, other Texas hitters will need to step up as well, but Garcia is the one prominent name that turns this game on its side in a hurry.

Why The Royals Will Cover The Spread/Win

Age is just a number, right? Indeed, this statement could not be more true for catcher Salvador Perez. The lone remaining member from the 2015 Kansas City Royals World Series winning team, Perez has turned back the clock, to say the least. Bafflingly enough, Perez is absolutely raking at the dish. As it stands, Perez is tearing the cover off the baseball with a .355 batting average. In addition, he is capitalizing and stepping up with runners in scoring position. In fact, Perez has been a thorn in the side of opposing pitchers on his way to capturing 27 RBIs already. When looking at the bigger picture, both of these marks are good enough to be ranked within the top five of baseball. It is hard to imagine that Perez stays this hot with the bat, but crazier things have happened.

Of course, Brady Singer will be the biggest X-Factor for Kansas City in this one. After getting pummeled by the Toronto Blue Jays in a start back on April 22nd, the 27-year-old bounced back rather nicely as he sliced and diced the Detroit Tigers for five innings pitched and only one run given up. If the latter version of Singer shows up for play on Saturday, then the Rangers may be in for a whole lot of trouble. Outside of his rough showing against the Blue Jays, Singer has surrendered a combined five earned runs in his other handful of starts combined.

Final Rangers-Royals Prediction & Pick

In this highly profiled showdown between two similar teams in the American League Standings, one swing of the bat could be the difference in winning or losing for either side. However, at the end of the day, it would be smart to side with a proven Rangers squad compared to an inexperienced Royals crew.

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Final Rangers-Royals Prediction & Pick: Rangers -1.5 (+134)