MLB Betting: James Shields is expected to be on the mound on Monday as the Kansas City Royals visit the Tampa Bay Rays. It will be a return for Shields to Tampa where he spent most of his career. He did face the Rays last year but that game was in Kansas City. It will be interesting to see what type of reception he gets from the fans in Tampa Bay on Monday. Here is a look at the matchup and MLB predictions.
James Shields
The Royals paid a steep price to get Shields and although he has been good, he has not been great. And lately he hasn’t even been good. He is still 8-4 on the season but his ERA is up to 3.93. He was shelled last time out by the Detroit Tigers. He is 0-1 in his last three starts with a 6.16 ERA. He did pitch well against the Rays last year as he went 7 innings and picked up the win.
Jake Odorizzi
This will be an interesting matchup because Odorizzi was one of the players involved in the trade for Shields. He has pitched much better of late for the Rays and comes into this game with a 4-7 record and a 4.18 ERA. He held the Yankees to just three runs last time out. He has a 2-0 record and a 2.00 in his last three starts. He has thrown just 8.1 innings against the Royals with a 9.72 ERA.
Game Notes
The Royals have won 8 of the last 10 meetings in this series including two of three at home back in April. It has pretty much been a home team series as the Rays have won six of the last ten in Tampa with three of the last four going over.
MLB Predictions
Shields has not pitched well of late while Odorizzi has looked good. We’ll look for the Rays to win this one at home on Monday.
