The Kansas City Royals (75-61) travel to face off against the Houston Astros (73-62) on Saturday, August 31st. This game will be played at Minute Maid Park in Houston and televised on None. 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 6:10 CT.
Royals vs. Astros Betting Prediction
- Money Line Prediction: Royals (+118)
- Over/Under Prediction: Over 8 Runs
- The Royals have scored 5 or more runs in 8 of their last 15 games.
- The Royals have won 7 of their last 10 road games.
- The Royals have a recent head-to-head win against the Astros, scoring 13 runs on April 11th.
- The Royals have a winning record in their last 10 games, with 6 wins and 4 losses.
- The Royals have outscored their opponents by a combined 20 runs in their last 5 wins.
Royals vs Astros
Thanks to a two-run 9th inning for the Royals’ offense, they picked up a 2-1 road win over the Astros in the most recent game of this series. Heading into the game, the Astros were favored at -185 on the money line.
The starting pitching matchup for this game featured Seth Lugo for the Royals, and he went seven innings while giving up just one run and took home a win. Framber Valdez put together a good outing for the Astros, going seven innings and striking out seven without giving up a run.
Houston’s only run came in the 3rd inning, while the Royals got on the board with one run in the 8th. Heading into the game, the Astros had scored the second-most runs in the league, while the Royals were near the bottom with the 27th ranked offense.
When favored, the Royals have a 43-25 record this season, but as underdogs, they are 32-36. Kansas City is currently on a three-game losing streak and trails the Guardians by 2.5 games in the AL Central. Their overall series record is 20-21-2, and they have won two straight series on the road.
This season, the Royals’ games have averaged 8.9 runs, and their over/under record is 63-69. When the O/U line is 8 runs, their record is 14-11-2. For the year, 63.2% of their games have had O/U lines higher than 8 runs.
Cole Ragans Gets The Start For The Royals
Cole Ragans gets the start for the Royals today as he faces the Astros on the road. He has made 27 starts this year and has a record of 10-8 with a 3.28 ERA. Ragans’ WHIP for the season is currently 1.16. In his 27 appearances, he has turned in 17 quality starts and is averaging 10.77 strikeouts per nine innings. Ragans’ last outing came against the Guardians, where he finished with a no-decision, giving up one earned run in four innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts.
Royals Offense Breakdown
Heading into today’s game, the Royals are averaging 4.8 runs per game, which is 7th in the league. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.2 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .256, which is the 4th best mark in the league. Kansas City also has the 2nd fewest strikeouts in the league and have the 7th best slugging percentage in the league.
Bobby Witt Jr. has been a huge bright spot for the Royals this season, as he is batting .341 with 28 homers and 95 RBIs. He is also on an 11-game hitting streak. Salvador Perez is also having a big season, as he is 11th in the league with 25 homers and has driven in 94 runs.
As favorites, the Astros have a 55-43 record this season and have won three straight games in that role. Overall, they are 73-62 and lead the AL West by four games over the Mariners. Houston’s series record this year is 23-18-2, with an average run margin of 3.7 in wins and -3.1 in losses.
This season, 60.0% of Astros games have had over/under lines higher than today’s line of 8 runs. Their over/under record is 53-77, and the combined run average in their games is 8.5 runs per game.
Yusei Kikuchi Gets The Start For The Astros
Yusei Kikuchi gets the start for the Astros today and comes in with a record of 6-9 and an ERA of 4.38. So far this season, he has made 27 starts, and opponents are batting .251 off the left-hander. Kikuchi’s WHIP for the season is 1.27, and he has turned in eight quality starts. In his last outing, Kikuchi finished with a no-decision, giving up three earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts. So far, he has done better on the road, coming in with a record of 4-2 and 5.5 ERA compared to 2-7 and 4.82 at home.
Astros Offense Breakdown
Yordan Alvarez has been on a tear of late for the Astros, going 11/29 in his last seven games with three homers. For the season, he is batting .312 with 28 home runs, which is 8th in the league. Yainer Diaz leads the team with 72 RBIs, and Alex Bregman is 2nd on the team with 21 homers.
As a team, the Astros are 2nd in the league in batting average and are averaging 4.6 runs per game. They are also among the league leaders in home runs and have been good at avoiding strikeouts. Houston comes into the game with a team batting average of .261.
Royals vs Astros Prediction
Our pick for this Royals vs. Astros matchup is to take the Royals on the money line, with the payout being +118. We actually have the Royals winning this one by a score of 5-4. If you’re looking for a parlay, we would recommend taking the under, as the line is sitting at 8 runs, and we have this one finishing with a combined nine runs.
Looking at today’s starters, Yusei Kikuchi is projected to finish with seven strikeouts compared to Cole Ragans with five. However, we have Kikuchi finishing with a higher ERA than Ragans, and his team, the Astros, are projected to finish with fewer runs than the Royals.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* 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.
Last updated:August 31, 2024 Astros, Royals