The Kansas City Royals (75-59) travel to face off against the Houston Astros (71-62) on Thursday, August 29th. 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 Guardians. First pitch is set for 7:10 CT.
Royals vs. Astros Betting Prediction
- Money Line Prediction: Royals (+129)
- Over/Under Prediction: Over 8 Runs
- The Royals have won 10 out of their last 15 games, showing strong recent form.
- In their last 15 games, the Royals have scored an average of 6.6 runs per game, indicating a potent offense.
- In their last 15 road games, the Royals have a record of 11-4, demonstrating strong performance away from home.
- The Royals have won their last 3 games against the Astros, including a 13-3 victory on April 11th.
- Over the last 15 games, the Royals have outscored their opponents by a total of 35 runs, showcasing their ability to dominate games.
Royals vs Astros
The Astros Took The Last Game Of This Series
To close out their series vs. the Guardians, the Royals fell 7-5 on the road. Kansas City was the +131 underdog going into this matchup. Things started off well for the Royals, as they got on the board with two runs in the 1st inning but gave up the lead right away as the Guardians scored a run in the bottom of the first.
Michael Wacha had a rough outing, giving up five earned runs on nine hits and issuing three walks. The Royals also wasted a big game from Vinnie Pasquantino, who went 4/5 with a homer and a run scored. The Royals scored two runs in thejson 6th to tie things up but couldn’t close things out, and Lucas Erceg took the loss out of the bullpen.
After taking 3 out of 4 games against the Guardians, the Royals are just one game behind them in the AL Central standings with a 75-59 record. On the road, they are 34-31, and as favorites, they have a 43-25 record. Overall, the Royals have a run differential of +0.8 runs per game this season.
When the total line is set at 8 runs, the Royals’ O/U record is 13-11-2. This total is lower than their season average of 9.0 runs per game. So far, 64.2% of their games have had higher lines than 8 runs.
Brady Singer Gets The Start For The Royals
Brady Singer will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Phillies, as he gets the start for the Royals today. In that start, which came on August 24th, he took the loss, giving up five earned runs in five innings of work. Looking back further, Singer has lost three of his last four starts. The right-hander has a record of 9-9 this season and an ERA of 3.38. Singer’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.25. Overall, he has made 26 starts, 11 of which were quality starts. Per nine innings, Singer is averaging 8.65 strikeouts and 2.45 walks.
Royals Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Royals have been one of the league’s top offenses, averaging 4.9 runs per game, which is 5th in the league. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.2 runs per game. Overall, they are 4th in batting average and have the 6th best slugging percentage in the league. The Royals have been tough to strike out this season, but they don’t draw many walks.
Over the past seven games, both Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez have been swinging the bat well, with Witt Jr. hitting three homers in that stretch and Perez going 11/27 with three homers. Witt Jr. comes into the game with a five-game hitting streak. For the season, Witt Jr. is batting .346 with 28 homers, and Perez is batting .281 with 25 homers.
The Astros Are Coming Off A Win
The Astros’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Phillies, closing out their series with a 10-0 win. Houston was the slight favorite at -124 on the money line going into the game. It was a five-run 4th inning that really turned things in their favor, and the Phillies could only score two more runs the rest of the 4th.
Spencer Arrighetti put together a good start for the Astros, going 7 2/3 innings, and didn’t give up a run. He also issued just four hits and struck out 11 Phillies batters. Yordan Alvarez was hot at the plate, going 4/4 with three homers and four RBIs.
Heading into today’s game, the Astros are 71-62 overall and lead the AL West by 3.5 games over the Mariners. They have a 35-29 record at home and are looking to bounce back after losing two of three games in their most recent series vs. the Phillies.
When playing at home, the Astros have a 29-35 record against the run line, and their games have had an average of 8.5 runs per game this season. The over/under line for today’s game is set at 8 runs, which is lower than their season average of 9 runs per game.
Hunter Brown Gets The Start For The Astros
Hunter Brown gets the start for the Astros today and comes in with a record of 11-7 and an ERA of 3.72. In his 25 starts, he has pitched 140 1/3 innings and has a WHIP of 1.32. Brown has turned in 15 quality starts this year and is averaging 9.68 strikeouts per nine innings. Looking back at his last outing, Brown finished with a no-decision, going six innings and giving up one earned run on three hits. He did give up a homer in that outing. Before that, he had won three straight starts. So far, he has been much better on the road, with an ERA of 11.89 compared to 3.55 at home.
Astros Offense Breakdown
Yordan Alvarez has been on a tear of late, going 6/12 with three homers over his last three games. For the season, he is batting .311 with a team-high 28 homers and 71 RBIs. Alvarez’s 71 RBIs are the 2nd most in the league right now. Catcher Yainer Diaz also has a strong batting average (.297) and has gone deep 16 times this season, which is good for the 1st on the team.
Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman have also been solid for the Astros, with Altuve batting .299 and Bregman at .261. Altuve has gone deep 18 times, while Bregman has 21 homers. Houston comes into the game averaging 4.6 runs per game and are 2nd in the league in team batting average.
Royals vs Astros Prediction
Our pick for today’s Royals vs. Astros game is to take the Royals on the money line, with the payout currently sitting at +129. We actually have the Royals winning this one 5-4, so you could also look to take the over, as the line is at 8 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Brady Singer going five innings and finishing with five strikeouts. As for Hunter Brown, we have him going six innings and finishing with six K’s.
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 29, 2024 Astros, Royals