Will Royals defeat Rays? | Donovan Mitchell is staying with Cavaliers

Good afternoon, sports fans.

After a small slate last night, Major League Baseball is back in action with a hefty schedule tonight. One of the more intriguing matchups features the Kansas City Royals hosting the Tampa Bay Rays in a battle between two potential playoff teams. Royals starting pitcher Brady Singer has yielded a grand total of two earned across his last two starts. In addition, our Jeff Hochman points out that Singer possesses a 2.80 ERA when pitching at home this season. With the Royals being the hotter team, that's definitely a matchup that can be exploited. Consider this a sneak preview for the type of expert analysis and insight you will receive as a SportsLine subscriber.

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All times Eastern |Game odds via SportsLineconsensus

DONOVAN MITCHELL SIGNS EXTENSION WITH CAVALIERS

The Cleveland Cavaliers were able to ink one of their top stars for the foreseeable future. CBS Sports NBA insider Bill Reiter reports that star guard Donovan Mitchell has agreed to a three-year, $150.3 million contract extension with the Cavaliers. The deal also includes a player option for the 2027-28 season. Mitchell has spent the last two seasons as a member of the Cavaliers after being traded to the team from the Utah Jazz. Despite some uncertainty as to whether Mitchell would commit to the Cavaliers long-term, CBS Sports NBA writer Jack Maloney explains how the extension came to be.

• Maloney: "While Mitchell has performed extremely well during his time with the team, there have been doubts about whether he would be interested in sticking around long-term. Two early postseason exits only heightened the concern. Per Adrian Wojnarowski, though, Mitchell met with president of basketball operations Koby Altman over the weekend and is confident in the organization's ability to build a team capable of contending for a title."
  

Rays at Royals, 8:10 p.m. | TV: MLB.TV

• The Pick: Royals (-118)
• Key trend: The Royals are 4-1 in their last five home games.

SportsLine expert Jeff Hochman is 6-3 in his last nine MLB picks.

• Hochman: "Zack Littell has pitched much better at home than on the road this season. Littell has a 5.13 ERA with opponents batting .338 in road tilts. Meanwhile, Royals starter Brady Singer has a 2.80 ERA with an average against of .206 when pitching at home. He owns a 51.2% ground ball rate compared to Littell's 33.2%, which is a significant edge in a hitter-friendly park like Kauffman Stadium. The Royals home park ranks fourth in hits and runs since 2022, so I like the Royals in this spot."

Here's what else SportsLine is saying about the game:The Projection Model has a "A" pick on the spread, while having a "B" pick on the moneyline.Get one week of picks from SportsLine completely free with the promo codeNEWSLETTER*.Sign up here to get started!

Angels at Athletics, 9:40 p.m. | TV: MLB.TV

• The Projection: Angels (-113)| Grade: B -- Moderate

SportsLine's Projection Model has a "B" grade on the moneyline with "C" grades for the spread and total for the contest. The Angels are 6-1 in their last seven games, so we'll trust them to stay hot against the lowly Athletics.

SportsLine expert picks:Our staff has combed through the Tuesday night MLB slate and offered their best plays as the season continues.Get one week of picks from SportsLine completely free with the promo code NEWSLETTER*.Sign up here to get started!

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