The Kansas City Royals (75-62) travel to face off against the Houston Astros (74-62) on Sunday, September 1st. 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 1:10 CT.
Royals vs. Astros Betting Prediction
- Money Line Prediction: Royals (+138)
- Over/Under Prediction: Over 9 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 higher away win percentage (50%) compared to the Astros’ home win percentage (56.7%) in the last 15 games.
- The Royals have won 4 of their last 5 games against teams with a winning record.
- The Royals have outscored their opponents by 20 runs in their last 15 games.
Royals vs Astros
Houston cruised to a 5-2 win over the Royals in the most recent game of this series. The Astros had a huge 6th inning, scoring five of their seven runs. As for the Royals, they scored their only two runs in the 7th. Heading into the game, the Astros were favored at -128 on the money line.
Yusei Kikuchi pitched well for the Astros in this one, going seven innings and giving up just one run. He finished the game with 12 strikeouts but did not factor into the decision. Ryan Pressly got the save. Cole Ragans had a rough outing for the Royals, taking the loss.
Jeremy Pena hit the game’s only home run while going 2/4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Yainer Diaz also had a two-hit game for Houston. Bobby Witt Jr. went 1/4 with a homer for the Royals.
Heading into today’s game, the Royals are 75-62 overall, and they have lost four straight games to the Astros in this series. They are 2.5 games behind the Guardians in the AL Central and will be looking to bounce back with a win.
Against the run line, the Royals have a 76-61 record, including a 41-28 mark as underdogs. Their games have averaged 8.9 runs this season, and their over/under record is 63-70. The under has hit in their last two games, and their O/U record when the total is 9 runs is 14-13-1.
Alec Marsh Gets The Start For The Royals
The Royals are sending Alec Marsh to the mound today as he faces the Astros on the road. Marsh has made 20 starts this season and has a record of 7-7 with an ERA of 4.67. So far, he has turned in five quality starts and is coming off an outing in which he didn’t give up an earned run. In that appearance, he went 4 2/3 innings and gave up two earned runs. Marsh’s ERA on the road is 5.64, compared to 4.73 at home. His ERA for the season was 5.91 at the end of July, so he has made some progress in recent outings.
Royals Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Royals are the 7th highest-scoring team in the league, averaging 4.8 runs per game. At home, they have been even better, putting up 5.2 runs per contest. As a team, the Royals are batting .256, which is the 4th best mark in the league. They are also one of the toughest teams to strike out in the league and have the 2nd best team batting average in the MLB.
Heading into today’s game, Bobby Witt Jr. is batting .341 for the season and has gone 8/31 with four homers over his last eight games. Salvador Perez has also been swinging the bat well of late, going 10/31 in his last eight games with two homers. Perez is batting .277 for the season, and his 94 RBIs is 7th best in the league.
As the favorite, the Astros are 56-43 this season, and they have a 35-24 record at home when favored. Houston’s overall home record is 38-29, and their series record stands at 23-18-2. They have a 70-66 run line record, and games they win have an average margin of 3.7 runs.
Houston leads the AL West by five games with a 74-62 record, and they have won four straight games. The under has hit in two straight games for the Astros, and their over/under record is 53-78 for the season. The O/U line for today’s game is set at 9 runs, and only 13.2% of their games have had a total of 9 runs.
Ronel Blanco Gets The Start For The Astros
Ronel Blanco is looking to pick up a win today as he faces the Royals at home. So far this season, he has made 25 starts and has a record of 9-6 with an ERA of 3.14. Blanco has made 25 appearances and has a WHIP of 1.08. Opposing batters are hitting .188 off the right-hander this season. Blanco has one complete game shutout and 12 quality starts this year. He has finished with a no-decision in each of his last three outings. Most recently, Blanco gave up two earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work against the Phillies.
Astros Offense Breakdown
Yordan Alvarez has been on a tear of late for the Astros, going 9/19 in his last five games with three homers and four RBIs. Overall, he is batting .312 with a team-high 28 homers. Alvarez’s 71 RBIs are also the 2nd most on the team, behind Yainer Diaz, who leads the team with 74 RBIs and is batting .298.
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. Houston’s offense has been near the top of the league in most offensive categories, including team slugging percentage and isolated power.
Royals vs Astros Prediction
Our prediction for today’s Royals vs. Astros matchup is to take the Royals on the money line, with the payout sitting at +138. We actually have the Royals winning this one by a score of 6-5, and with the over/under line being set at 9 runs, you could look to take the over.
Looking at today’s starting pitchers, Alec Marsh is projected to finish with five strikeouts, and for the Astros, Ronel Blanco is projected to finish with five. Blanco is actually projected to finish with more strikeouts than Marsh, but we still have the Royals coming out on top.
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:September 1, 2024 Astros, Royals