The Kansas City Royals will be squaring off against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. This AL matchup will be televised across the country on Fox and the game gets underway 7:15 p.m. ET.
Kansas City Royals at Houston Astros Odds
Vegas has listed Houston (-320) as the favorite over Kansas City (+260). Bettors are able to wager on the games total with odds sitting at even money (+100) for over 8.5 runs and -120 for under 8.5. Gamblers can also bet on the games runline with the current odds coming in at Royals +1.5 runs (+130) and Astros -1.5 runs (-150).
The Astros are 50-27 straight up (SU) and 43-33 against the spread (ATS). They’ve gained 7.0 units for moneyline bettors and 8.2 units (ATS). Houston has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the total went over in five of those seven. The Royals have gone 23-52 SU this year and are 33-41 ATS. Overall, the teams lost 23.0 units for moneyline gamblers and 16.3 units ATS. Kansas City’s covered the spread just once in its last seven games and the total has gone under in four of those seven.
Astros games have had an over/under record of 35-37-4 so far in 2018. The Royals have been a good under bet with a total record of 28-42-4.
Ian Kennedy will get the nod for Kansas City. The right-handed Kennedy is 1-7 with a 5.31 ERA and 75 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Astros this year and only made one start against them in 2017 (0-1, 7.20 ERA and four strikeouts over five innings).
The Astros are sending righty Lance McCullers Jr. (8-3, 3.77 ERA) to the mound. McCullers Jr. has 90 strikeouts and 34 walks to his name, as well as a 1.20 WHIP. McCullers Jr. is 0-0 with nine strikeouts and a 3.00 ERA in one start against Kansas City this year.
Kansas City’s pitching staff allowed 5.5 runs per game and its starters own a 5.12 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 7.38 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 5.46, along with a WHIP of 1.44.
The Royals offense has slashed .241/.305/.370 on its way to 3.6 runs scored per game in 2018, including 1.9 runs per game over the teams last 10 games and 2.2 per game over the teams last five contests (1-4 SU).
Second baseman Whit Merrifield and third baseman Mike Moustakas continue to lead Kansas City’s offense. The speedy Merrifield is slashing .285/.364/.408 with four home runs, 23 RBIs, 31 runs and 16 stolen bases, while Moustakas is hitting .259 with 14 homers, 48 RBIs and 35 runs scored.
In the other dugout, Houston’s pitchers have allowed 3.0 runs per game overall this season. Its starting pitching staff has a 2.88 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a solid ERA of just 2.73, a WHIP of 1.06 and a K/9 of 10.9.
The Houston hitters have put up 5.1 runs per contest, including 6.1 per game over its last 10 games and 3.6 per game over their last five. The team has slashed .269/.354/.413 over its last five contests and is 3-2 SU during that stretch.
Second baseman Jose Altuve and right fielder George Springer have led the Astros offense this year. Altuve is slashing .346/.402/.493 with seven home runs, 39 RBIs, 49 runs and 11 stolen bases, while Springer’s line is .277/.357/.483 with 15 homers, 42 RBIs and 56 runs.
The Royals have lost 22.5 units and are 19-31 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has hit in 19 of those games, as opposed to 27 that’ve hit the under in such games. On the other hand, the Astros have netted 9.3 units and are 29-19 ATS when facing a righty starter. The overs cashed in 22 of those games, compared to 23 that went under.
Kansas City Royals at Houston Astros MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Astros, ATS Winner – Royals, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The under has hit in four of Kansas City’s last seven games.
- Houston has posted 26.9 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 20.8 over its last five.
- The Royals have hit four home runs in their last 10 games. The Astros have hit 17 over their last 10.
