The Tampa Bay Rays own the majors’ best record at home but have struggled against the Kansas City Royals there lately.

However, the Rays are perfect in St. Petersburg, Fla., this season in starts by left-hander Shane McClanahan, who will look to help them even a four-game set against the Royals on Tuesday night.

With a 2-1 loss to Kansas City on Monday, the Rays are still a solid 26-11 at home. However, they’ve lost four straight there to the Royals, who are amid an 8-3 stretch when facing Tampa Bay on the road.

The Rays also have dropped seven of their last 10 games overall. And they’re 1-6 in one-run games during that stretch.

“In the course of 162 games, there’s going to ebbs and some flows,” said Tampa Bay pitcher Drew Rasmussen, who allowed two runs over six innings Monday.

“I wouldn’t chalk it up to anything more than that at this point.”

McClanahan (6-4, 3.33 ERA) has completed just 7 2/3 total innings in his last two starts. On Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he lasted a season-low 3 2/3 innings while allowing two runs, three hits and a season-high five walks on 83 pitches.

Tampa Bay, which dropped that game 5-4, has lost McClanahan’s last three starts– all on the road, where he’s 1-4 with a 4.38 ERA in eight starts. However, the Rays have won all six 2026 home starts made by McClanahan, who is 5-0 with a 2.05 ERA in those outings.

All three of McClanahan’s starts against the Royals have come at home, and he’s 1-0 with a 2.30 ERA in those contests. He has not faced Kansas City since 2023, however.

The Royals have won four of their last five games to build momentum. Carter Jensen recorded a run-scoring single in the fifth inning Monday to extend his hitting streak to 13 games, during which he’s batting .365 with 12 RBIs.

Star teammate Bobby Witt Jr. missed his third straight game Monday with a Grade 1 MCL sprain, but Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said he hopes Witt is available at some point during this series.

The Royals’ scheduled Tuesday starter, Luinder Avila (2-3, 5.50 ERA), yielded a run and three hits while striking out five batters over 5 2/3 innings of his team’s 6-2 victory at Washington on Wednesday.

It was a needed performance by the right-hander, who was tagged for eight runs on five hits and three walks in just two-thirds of an inning against Houston in his prior start.

“He’s a powerful and strong individual,” pitching coach Brian Sweeney told the Royals’ official website. “Being consistent on those 17 inches of the plate, and letting the movement work in the zone, is key.”

Avila was used almost exclusively as a reliever in April and May. He has allowed no more than one run in three of his four June starts.

“He knows he can do it down there in the bullpen,” Sweeney added. “And he’s learning what it takes at the major league level as a starter. It’s going to enhance his development.”

Avila will get his first look at the Rays and Yandy Diaz, who is batting .408 with 23 RBIs during a 20-game home on-base streak.

–Field Level Media

We’ve got a rainy Tuesday on tap in parts of the Northeast so hopefully we get all of today’s games in.

I’m avoiding it all and going with one prop from a dome and another from Southern California for today’s MLB Picks.

Season Record 38-35-1, +0.08 Units

Royals at Rays

Shane McClanahan Under 15.5 Outs Recorded (-124 DraftKings)

The Rays lefty sometimes ace has been anything but stellar lately. In his last three starts he’s lasted just 12.1 IP total with an ugly 7.11 ERA and 2.13 WHIP. Before his recent blips he was excellent, with a 2.45 ERA and 1.02 WHIP though his 15.3% K-BB% was more good than outstanding and the estimators are not enamored with his work.

He has a 3.94 SIERA and 3.67 xERA on the season. Prior to this year he hadn’t pitched in MLB since early August 2023, so there’s also the question of whether he’s just run out of gas already.

As far as this particular prop goes, he’s just not going far into games in either his good starts or bad ones. McClanahan has only recorded an out in the sixth in one of his last seven starts, and that was literally one out.

Overall he’s gone past 5 IP just 3 of 14 times. The Royals offense isn’t the greatest and they’re missing Vinnie P and possibly Bobby Witt Jr. as well. But Jac Caglianone is on fire lately and they went off on the Cardinals last weekend so they’re hitting their stride a bit lately. There’s some juice on the under here but not enough in my opinion.

Orioles vs. Angels

McClanahan’s ex-teammate Baz gets a somewhat easier assignment tonight as he takes on the banged up Angels in Anaheim. Mike Trout is out though Jorge Soler just returned from the IL. The latter is helpful for this prop as he’s rocking a 31% K%.

The Angels as a whole are the most whiff-tastic team in baseball with a 24.9% K%.

The Seattle Storm will try to avoid making history when they play host to the Dallas Wings on Monday night.

The Storm (3-14) have lost 10 games in a row, tying the franchise record set in 2023.

After three straight losses by five points or fewer, the Storm were blown out 93-73 Saturday in Phoenix. Seattle is 0-9 against Western Conference opponents this season.

“If you’re scoring, then you can set your defense a little bit better, but also if you’re missing shots, sometimes it’s frustrating and then the challenge is to not let it impact you on the other end,” said first-year Storm coach Sonia Raman, whose team will open a three-game homestand that includes visits from New York and Atlanta.

Natisha Hiedeman led Seattle with 20 points, her ninth straight game in double-digit scoring. Storm guard Jade Melbourne injured her right foot and didn’t play in the second half, and she is listed as questionable for Monday’s game.

The Wings (10-6) rallied past visiting Chicago 93-92 Saturday as Paige Bueckers totaled 19 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Li Yueru made two free throws with 12.5 seconds left to give Dallas — which scored 36 points in the fourth quarter — its first lead of the game.

“We always felt like we were in it, and we were scrapping and fighting,” Bueckers said. “We were just trying to attack that way and just chip away, not hit any home runs, but one possession at a time, dig in defensively, get what we want and execute offensively and just keep building — keep having that consistent communication of what we want and just stick with it until the final buzzer.”

The Wings beat Seattle 79-56 on June 1 in Arlington, Texas, as Aziaha James scored 18 points off the bench.

Bueckers leads Dallas with 18.7 points and 6.1 assists per game, while Jessica Shepard has tallied 14.2 points, 11.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists per contest. Hiedeman paces Seattle at 15.3 points and 4.3 assists.

–Field Level Media