Free Pick | MLB | Weds. | July 1

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We’ve had three consecutive winning Julys in MLB and we just had a great June!

#969 Tampa Bay Rays (McClanahan) -125 over KC Royals (Lugo) 6:40 PM CT

The current six-game winning streak has the Rays on top of the AL East and with the best record in the American League. Tampa Bay cruised to a 10-4 win yesterday in Kansas City and the struggling pitching staff for the Royals still used six pitchers in a lopsided result. Kansas City has horrific recent bullpen splits with a 9.23 ERA and a 1.95 WHIP in the past 10 games. That puts some extra pressure on Seth Lugo, who hasn’t been able to match his great 2024 season with the Royals over the past two seasons. Lugo has nearly a career-worst 6.9 K/9 this season and his groundball rate is also the lowest of his career. Lugo has allowed three or more runs in six of his last nine starts and he finished June with a 6.52 ERA. Tampa Bay has hit .290 with 6.0 runs per nine vs. right-handers in the past 10 games and the Rays have scored at least five runs in six of the past seven games. Kansas City has lost five of the past six games and they failed to reach four runs in four of those games. The Royals are also just 6-17 vs. left-handed starters this season. When healthy, Shane McClanahan has been one of the AL’s top pitchers and after missing 2024 and 2025, he has been able to come close to matching his past form, even with a few recent ups-and-downs. The Tampa Bay bullpen has been dominant in recent weeks, and the Rays should be in position to deliver another road win tonight despite a suspect season road record for the AL leaders.