The Washington Nationals (69-87) host the Kansas City Royals (82-74) on Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. ET for the first game of a three-game series.

The Royals are favorites away (-167) against the Nationals (+139). The pairing on the mound for this contest is set: The Kansas City Royals have to face Cole Ragans (11-9) and Mitchell Parker (7-10) for the Washington Nationals.

The Royals lost 2-0 to the Giants on Sunday. Seth Lugo (seven innings, two earned runs on three hits and five strikeouts) was responsible for the loss. Bobby Witt Jr. hit 1-for-3 and led the Royals in offense.

The Nationals lost to the Cubs on Sunday. Jake Irvin lost despite throwing four innings, allowing five earned runs on four hits and three strikeouts. James Wood hit 2 for 4 and hit a double to pace the Nationals offense.

Before you watch the Royals vs. Nationals, here's everything you need to know about what happened on the field Tuesday, including viewing options.

Kansas City Royals vs. Washington Nationals odds and betting lines

MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM Sports Betting. Odds updated Monday at 9:16 p.m. ET. For a complete list of sports betting odds, visit the USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.

  • Favorite: Royals (-167, bet $167 to win $100)
  • Outsider: Nationals (+139, bet $100 to win $139)
  • Over/Under: 8

Royals vs. Nationals: Live streaming information and game time

  • Matchday: Tuesday, September 24, 2024
  • Playing time: 6:45 p.m. ET
  • Stadium: National Park
  • TV channels: Bally Sports
  • Live stream: Fubo (watch for free)

Royals Stats and Trends

Royals betting records

  • This season, the Royals have been favorites 74 times and won 46 of those games, or 62.2%.
  • Kansas City is 19-7 this season when entering a game with a favorite value of -167 or more on the moneyline.
  • The moneyline for this contest implies a 62.5 percent chance of victory for the Royals.
  • The total was exceeded in 68 of Kansas City's 156 games.
  • The Royals have an ATS record of 83-73-0 in 156 games with the spread this season.

Cole Ragans (probable starter for the Royals)

  • Ragans makes his 32nd start of the season for the Royals. He is 11-9 with a 3.24 ERA and 217 strikeouts in 180 1/3 innings pitched.
  • In his last appearance on Tuesday, the left-hander played seven innings against the Detroit Tigers, allowed one earned run and collected four hits.
  • In 31 games this season, the 26-year-old has an ERA of 3.24 and 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings. His opponents' batting average is .215.
  • Ragans will be looking to secure his fourth consecutive quality start in this game.
  • Ragans will look to continue his five-game streak of five or more innings (he averages 5.8 frames per appearance).
  • In five of his 31 appearances this season, he has not allowed a single earned run.
  • The opposing Nationals offense has the 24th slugging percentage (.375) and ranks 29th in MLB play with 130 home runs. They have a collective batting average of .243 and are 19th in MLB play with 1,256 hits and 24th in MLB play with 638 runs scored.
  • With an ERA of 3.24, the 26-year-old ranks 13th, with a WHIP of 1.148 he ranks 23rd and with 10.8 K/9 he ranks 3rd among qualified pitchers this season.

Royals batting statistics

  • The Royals' 167 home runs rank 20th in Major League Baseball.
  • Kansas City's offense has a slugging percentage of .409 this season, ranking 12th in the MLB.
  • The Royals' batting average of .250 is among the best in baseball and they rank seventh in the MLB.
  • Kansas City ranks 12th in the majors with a total of 719 runs scored this season.
  • The Royals have an OBP of .308 this season, ranking 18th in the MLB.
  • Kansas City is one of the most disciplined teams at bat this season, ranking second with an average of 7.1 strikeouts per game.

National statistics and trends

Betting records for the Nationals

  • The Nationals have been victorious in 53, or 41.7%, of the 127 contests in which they were selected as underdogs this season.
  • This season, Washington has won 22 of 63 opportunities as an underdog with odds of at least +139 or more on the moneyline.
  • The moneyline set for this clash implies that the Nationals have a 41.8 percent chance of coming away victorious.
  • Washington and its opponents have reached the cap in 74 of their 156 games, with bookmakers making an overall prediction this season.
  • The Nationals have an against-spread record of 85-70-0 in 155 games with a line this season.

Mitchell Parker (probable starter for the Nationals)

  • Parker starts for the Nationals, his 29th of the season. He has a record of 7-10, a 4.44 ERA and 128 strikeouts in 146 2/3 innings pitched.
  • In his last appearance on Tuesday, the left-hander threw 3 2/3 innings against the New York Mets, allowing five earned runs and conceding seven hits.
  • In 28 games this season, the 24-year-old has amassed a 4.44 ERA and 7.9 strikeouts per nine innings while allowing an opponent's batting average of .259.
  • Parker has made 11 good starts this season.
  • Parker has 20 starts this season in which he has pitched five or more innings.
  • In five of his 28 appearances this season, he was able to hold his opponents without a single earned run.
  • He will face a Royals team that as a unit has a batting average of .250 (7th in MLB). They also have a combined batting average of .409 (12th in the league) and a total of 167 home runs (20th in MLB).

Nationals batting statistics

  • The Nationals have hit 130 home runs this season, the second-fewest number in baseball.
  • So far this year, Washington ranks 24th in baseball with a slugging percentage of .375.
  • The Nationals rank 14th in the Major Leagues in batting average (.243).
  • Washington scores the 24th most runs in baseball (638 total, 4.1 per game).
  • The Nationals rank 16th in the MLB with an on-base percentage of .309.

Watch MLB on Fubo!