The Kansas City Royals (75-60) travel to face off against the Houston Astros (72-62) on Friday, August 30th. This game will be played at Minute Maid Park in Houston and televised on BSKC. The Astros are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Royals are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Astros. First pitch is set for 7:10 CT.

Royals vs. Astros Betting Prediction

• Money Line Prediction: Astros (-157)
• Over/Under Prediction: Over 8 Runs

• Astros have won 4 out of their last 6 home games.
• Astros have scored an average of 5.2 runs per game in their last 15 games.
• Astros have a 2-game winning streak coming into this game.
• Astros have a better overall record (72-62) compared to the Royals (75-60).
• Astros won their last head-to-head game against the Royals with a score of 6-3.

Royals vs Astros

Houston picked up a 6-3 win over the Royals in the most recent game of this series. The Astros had a huge 8th inning, scoring four of their six runs. As for the Royals, they scored three of their four runs in the 7th. Heading into the game, the Astros were favored at -161 on the money line.

Brady Singer got the start for the Royals, going six innings and giving up two earned runs. He finished the game with six strikeouts but issued a costly walk in the 1st inning. Lucas Erceg took the loss. Hunter Brown put together a good outing for the Astros, getting the win after going 6 2/3 innings and not giving up a run.

Yordan Alvarez went 2/4 with two RBIs to lead the Astros’ offense. Jason Heyward and Mauricio Dubon each drove in two for Houston. Maikel Garcia had a two-hit game for the Royals, scoring one run.

As the underdog, the Royals are 32-35 this season, compared to 43-25 as the favorite. Their overall series record is 20-21-2, and they have won two straight series on the road. Kansas City is 75-60 overall and 2nd in the AL Central, trailing the Guardians by 1.5 games.

Against the run line, the Royals are 40-27 as the underdog and 75-60 overall. Their games this season have averaged 9.0 runs, and their over/under record is 63-68. The over has hit in two straight games, and their O/U record when the total is 8 runs is 14-11-2.

Seth Lugo Gets The Start For The Royals

Seth Lugo gets the start for the Royals today as he faces the Astros on the road. So far this season, he has made 27 starts and has a record of 14-8. Lugo’s ERA is 3.19, along with a WHIP of 1.12. In his 27 appearances, he has turned in 18 quality starts and is coming off an outing where he gave up five earned runs in 5 1/3 innings of work. Looking back, he has lost three straight starts. The right-hander’s last win came on August 19th, where he gave up two earned runs in seven innings of work.

Royals Offense Breakdown

Heading into today’s game, the Royals are 5th in the league in scoring at 4.9 runs per game. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.2 runs per contest. Overall, they are one of the top home run-hitting teams in the league and have a team batting average of .257. One area where they have struggled is drawing walks, as they are currently 26th in the league in that category.

Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. have been two of the Royals’ top power threats this season, with Perez’s 25 homers being 12th in the league and Witt Jr.’s 28 homers putting him 9th in the MLB. Witt Jr. comes into the game with a team-high 95 RBIs and is batting .344. Perez has also been swinging the bat well of late, going 7/20 in his last five games with two homers. Witt Jr. has also gone deep twice in this stretch.

With a 72-62 record, the Astros lead the AL West by four games over the Mariners and have a series record of 23-18-2. They have covered the run line in two straight games, bringing their overall run line record to 69-65, with an average run margin of 0.6 runs per game.

As favorites, the Astros are 54-43 straight up but 44-53 against the run line. Their games this season have averaged 8.6 runs, resulting in a 53-76 over/under record. Today’s O/U line of 8 runs is lower than usual, as 60.4% of their games have had higher over/under lines.

Framber Valdez Gets The Start For The Astros

Framber Valdez will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Orioles, as he took the loss in that start. Against the Orioles, he gave up three earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work. Before that outing, he had won three straight starts. Valdez has a record of 13-6 and an ERA of 3.27. This year, he has one complete game and 13 quality starts. Valdez’s ERA at home is 3.5, compared to 3.98 on the road.

Astros Offense Breakdown

Yordan Alvarez has been on a tear of late for the Astros, going 8/16 in his last four games with three homers and four RBIs. Alvarez is currently 9th in the league with 28 homers and is batting .313 for the season. Catcher Yainer Diaz is leading the Astros with 72 RBIs and is 2nd on the team with 16 homers. Diaz is also batting .297 for the season.

As a team, the Astros are 2nd in the league in batting average and are averaging 4.6 runs per game. They have been even better at home, averaging 4.7 runs per contest. Overall, they are 10th in home runs and have the league’s 3rd fewest strikeouts.

Royals vs Astros Prediction

Our prediction for today’s Royals vs. Astros matchup is to take the Astros on the money line at -157. We see this game ending with a final score of 6-5 in favor of the Astros.

Looking at some potential player props, Framber Valdez is projected to finish with five strikeouts, while Seth Lugo is predicted to finish with four. As for the Astros and Royals lineups, the Astros are predicted to finish with 10 hits compared to the Royals with nine.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.