The Houston Astros will be taking on the Kansas City Royals in a Sunday showdown. This AL matchup will begin at 2:15 p.m. ET and fans can tune in to Fox Sports Kansas City to catch the game.
Houston Astros at Kansas City Royals Odds
Kansas City (+205) is entering into this contest as a pretty heavy underdog to Houston (-225) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under for this game at 10 runs. Odds for betting on the game’s total currently sit at -115 for the over and -105 for the under. Bettors can also wager on the game’s spread with the current runline odds coming in at Astros -1.5 runs (-150) and Royals +1.5 runs (+130).
The Astros have gone 97-53 SU this year and are 79-70 against the spread (ATS). The team hasn’t moved the needle much this year, gaining 0.7 units for gamblers taking the moneyline, despite having lost 2.3 units ATS. Houston is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the under has hit in four of those seven. The Royals, on the other hand, are 55-94 SU and 69-79 ATS. The team’s lost 20.5 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 23.6 units ATS. Kansas City has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total has gone over in five of those seven.
Kansas City games have an over/under record of 73-67-8 in 2019. Houston has been a decent under bet with a total record of 67-77-5.
The southpaw Wade Miley is getting the nod for the visiting Astros. Miley is 13-5 with a 3.74 ERA and 134 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Royals this year and did not record a start against them in 2018, either.
The Royals are going with righty Jakob Junis (9-13, 5.06 ERA), who’s got 162 strikeouts and 56 walks, along with a WHIP of 1.40. Junis is 0-1 with three strikeouts and an 8.44 ERA in one start against Houston this year.
As a unit, Kansas City’s pitchers have given up 5.3 runs per game overall this season. Its starting pitching staff has a 5.16 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 7.3 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 5.06 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 8.6 K/9.
The Kansas City hitters have produced 4.2 runs per outing, including 3.8 per game over its last 10 games and 3.8 per game over their last five. The team’s hit .240/.274/.462 over its last five matchups and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.
The Royals’ batters have been led by second baseman Whit Merrifield and outfielder Jorge Soler. Merrifield is slashing .306/.353/.474 with 16 home runs, 73 RBIs, 96 runs and 18 steals, and Soler’s line sits at .255/.345/.551 with 44 homers, 107 RBIs and 84 runs scored.
In the visiting dugout, Houston’s pitching staff allowed 4.0 runs per game and its starters own a 3.67 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 10.53 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 3.85, along with a WHIP of 1.09.
The Astros offense has slashed .276/.356/.493 on its way to 5.7 runs scored per game in 2019, including 7.8 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 4.4 per game over the team’s last five contests (2-3 SU).
Houston’s hitters have been paced by outfielder Michael Brantley and first baseman Yuli Gurriel. Brantley is hitting .322/.382/.518 with 21 home runs, 85 RBIs and 86 runs scored, while Gurriel is hitting .301/.346/.538 with 27 homers, 98 RBIs and 78 runs scored.
The Astros have lost 10.5 units and are 56-51 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in 52 of those games, compared to 52 that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Royals have lost 4.3 units and are 18-21 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in 19 of those games, as opposed to 16 which went under the total.
Astros at Royals MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Astros, ATS Winner – Astros, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- The over has hit in three of Houston’s last seven games.
- The Astros have a total OPS of .849 this season and an OPS of .830 when facing right-handed pitchers. The Royals’ OPS sits at .709 overall and .717 against righties.
- Houston has recorded 29.4 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 21.6 over its last five.
- The Astros have hit 25 home runs in their last 10 games. The Royals have hit 13 over their last 10.
