The Houston Astros will pay a visit to Kansas City to face off against the Royals at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. Fox Sports Kansas City will televise this AL matchup and the action gets underway at 8:15 p.m. ET.
Houston Astros at Kansas City Royals Odds
Oddsmakers have listed Houston (-385) as the favorite over Kansas City (+310). The total sits at nine runs and bettors can take the over for -120 or the under for +100. Gamblers can also bet on the game’s runline with the odds sitting at -225 for the Astros -1.5 runs and +185 for the Royals +1.5.
The Astros are 95-53 SU and have gone 78-69 against the spread (ATS). The team hasn’t moved the needle a whole lot this year, gaining 2.5 units for gamblers taking the moneyline, despite having lost 1.9 units ATS. Houston’s covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total has gone over in five of those seven. The Royals, on the other hand, are 55-92 SU and 68-78 ATS. The team’s lost 21.4 units for moneyline bettors and 23.6 units ATS. Kansas City has a 3-4 ATS record over its last seven games and the total has gone over in five of those seven.
Royals games have an over/under record of 72-66-8 in 2019. The Astros have been a decent under bet with a total record of 67-75-5.
Gerrit Cole is getting the nod for the visiting Astros. The right-handed Cole is 16-5 with a 2.73 ERA and 281 strikeouts. He’s 1-0 with nine strikeouts and a 5.68 ERA against Kansas City this year.
The Royals are turning to Danny Duffy (6-6, 4.71 ERA). Duffy has 98 strikeouts and 41 walks, along with a 1.38 WHIP. Duffy is 1-0 with five strikeouts and a 2.70 ERA in one start against Houston this year.
As a unit, Kansas City’s pitching staff has yielded 5.3 runs per game overall in 2019. Its starting pitching staff has an ERA of 5.20, a WHIP of 1.43 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 7.3. The bullpen has a 5.01 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 8.6 K/9.
The Kansas City hitters have put up 4.3 runs per outing, including 4.8 per game over its last 10 games and 4.8 per game over their last five. The team has slashed .241/.294/.466 over its last five games and is 3-2 SU during that stretch.
Second baseman Whit Merrifield and right fielder Jorge Soler have led the Royals’ batters this year. Merrifield is slashing .305/.353/.470 with 16 home runs, 72 RBIs, 96 runs and 18 steals, and Soler’s line is .257/.348/.557 with 44 homers, 107 RBIs and 84 runs scored.
In the visiting dugout, Houston’s pitchers have allowed 4.1 runs per game and its starters own a 3.73 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 10.51 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 3.88, along with a WHIP of 1.10.
The Astros offense has slashed .276/.356/.494 on its way to 5.7 runs scored per game this year, including 7.3 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 9.6 per game over the team’s last five outings (2-3 SU).
Houston’s offense has been sparked by left fielder Michael Brantley and first baseman Yuli Gurriel. Brantley is slashing .321/.380/.519 with 21 home runs, 85 RBIs and 86 runs scored, while Gurriel (.305/.350/.546) has produced 27 homers, 98 RBIs and 78 runs scored.
The Astros have gained 10.2 units and are 22-19 ATS when facing a lefty starter this season. The over has hit in 15 of those games, compared to 24 that’ve gone under against left-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Royals have lost 17.1 units and are 50-57 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in 53 of those games, compared to 50 which went under the total.
Astros at Royals Free Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Astros, ATS Winner – Astros, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- The under has hit in only two of Kansas City’s last seven games.
- The Astros have a team OPS of .850 this season and an OPS of .888 against left-handed pitchers. The Royals’ OPS stands at .711 overall and .692 against lefties.
- Houston has recorded 28.7 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 35.6 over its last five.
- The Astros have hit 24 home runs in their last 10 games, including 16 over their last five.
