Kansas City Royals vs Houston Astros Betting Pick & Prediction 9/1/24

On Sunday at 2:10, the Astros will be looking to extend their four-game winning streak as they face the Royals, who are +138 on the money line. Houston is 74-62 overall, while the Royals are 75-62 and they are second in the AL Central. The game will be played at Minute Maid Park in Houston.

The over/under line for Sunday’s matchup is at 9 runs, and Ronel Blanco is starting for the Astros, while the Royals are going with Alec Marsh. Blanco and the Astros are favored, with their money line odds sitting at -163.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS VS HOUSTON ASTROS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Kansas City Royals Moneyline +138

This game will be played at Minute Maid Park at 2:10 ET on Sunday, September 1st.

HOW TO BET THE ROYALS VS ASTROS:

• We have the Royals winning by a score of 6 to 5
• If you’re looking for a run line pick, we also like the Royals to cover
• As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 11 runs and like the over

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 didn’t factor into the decision. Ryan Pressly got the win out of the bullpen. Cole Ragans had a rough outing for the Royals, taking the loss.

Jeremy Pena and Yainer Diaz each had two RBIs for the Astros’ offense. Bobby Witt Jr. hit the game’s only home run and drove in two runs for the Royals.

Royals Records & Stats

Kansas City is 75-62 overall and 2.5 games behind the Guardians in the AL Central. The Royals have dropped four straight games, and this losing streak has come after going 29-14 against other teams in the division. So far, they are 41-28 at home and an even 34-34 on the road.

As the underdog, the Royals are 32-37 this year compared to 43-25 as the favorite. Kansas City has an overall series record of 20-21-2 this year, and they have won two straight series on the road. Their road losing streak is at four games, and they have dropped four straight as the underdog.

When the Royals are on the road, they have a run line record of 37-31, which is a winning percentage of 54.4%. Their average run differential is +0.7 runs per game, which is the same as their overall run line record. They have been the underdog in 69 games and the favorite in 68 games.

The Kansas City Royals are on the road today against the Houston Astros. The over/under line for the game is set at 9 runs. The Royals’ games have averaged 8.9 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 63-70. When the over/under line is set at 9 runs, their record is 14-13-1. So far this season, 15.3% of their games have had over/under lines set at 9 runs, and their games have gone under the line in 64.2% of their games. The under has hit in their last two games.

Right-hander Alec Marsh is starting for the Royals today as he faces the Astros on the road. He has made 20 starts this season and has a record of 7-7 with an ERA of 4.67. Marsh’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.25, and he has turned in five quality starts. In his last outing, Marsh finished with a no-decision, going 4 2/3 innings and giving up two earned runs on five hits. He has not given up more than two earned runs in any of his last three outings. Marsh has given up a total of 15 homers this season.

So far this season, the Royals are 7th in the league in runs per game at 4.8. At home, they have been even better, 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 8th best slugging percentage in the league.

Bobby Witt Jr. has been one of the league’s top power threats this season, as his 29 home runs are 7th best in the league. Not only that, but he is batting .341 for the season. Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino are also near the top of the league in RBIs, with 94 and 97, respectively. Perez has gone 10/31 in his last eight games, while Witt Jr. has four homers in that stretch.

Astros Records & Stats

The Astros are currently 74-62 overall and lead the AL West by five games over the Mariners. Houston has won four straight games, and they are 6-4 across their last ten games. So far, they have gone 21-18 in divisional matchups.

At home, the Astros are 38-29 this year, and they are just above .500 at 36-33 on the road. As the favorite, the Astros are 56-43 this year and 18-19 as the underdog. Their overall series record is 23-18-2.

When the Astros are favored, they are 45-54 against the run line, but as underdogs, they are 25-12. Their average run margin in winning games is 3.7, while in losses, it’s -3.1. They are 70-66 overall against the run line, and their average run margin is 0.6. Their run line record at home is 31-36, and their scoring margin is 0.9. On the road, they are 39-30 against the run line, with a scoring margin of 0.3.

The Astros have seen a lot of low-scoring games this season, with their combined run average sitting at 8.5. Their over/under record is 53-78, and their average over/under line is 9 runs. When the line is set at 9 runs, their over/under record is 11-8-2. Overall, only 13.2% of their games have had over/under lines set at 9 runs or higher, with just 18 games having lines set above 9 runs. Their current under streak is at 2 games.

Ronel Blanco is looking to pick up a win today for the Astros as he comes into the game with a record of 9-6 and ERA of 3.14. So far, he has made 25 starts and 12 of them have been quality starts. Blanco has a WHIP of 1.08 and is averaging 8.85 strikeouts per nine innings. One of his complete games this year was a shutout. Blanco’s last outing came against the Phillies, where he went 5 2/3 innings, giving up two earned runs on seven hits. He finished with a no-decision in that outing.

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. For the season, Alvarez is hitting .312 with a team-high 28 homers and 71 RBIs. Catcher Yainer Diaz has also been a big run producer for Houston, as he has 74 RBIs to go along with a batting average of .298.

As a team, the Astros are averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 12th in the league. They are also one of the top home run hitting teams in the league, as they are 11th in the league in homers. Overall, the Astros are batting .261, which is the 2nd best mark in the MLB.