Kansas City Royals vs Houston Astros Betting Pick & Prediction 8/30/24
Friday’s matchup between the Royals and Astros is set for 8:10 PM from Minute Maid Park in Houston. The Astros are currently on a two-game winning streak and are 1st in the AL West with a record of 72-62. The Royals are 2nd in the AL Central with a record of 75-60 but are the slight money line underdog for tonight’s game (+133).
Friday’s forecast in Houston calls for temperatures in the mid-90s with partly cloudy skies. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs, and the game can be seen on BSKC. Seth Lugo is starting for the Royals, and he is facing off against Framber Valdez.
HOUSTON ASTROS VS KANSAS CITY ROYALS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Houston Astros Moneyline -157
This game will be played at Minute Maid Park at 8:10 ET on Friday, August 30th.
HOW TO BET THE ROYALS VS ASTROS:
- We have the Astros winning by a score of 6 to 5
- However, if you’re looking for a run line pick, we like the Royals to cover
- As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 11 runs and like the over
Houston picked up a 6-3 win over the Royals in the most recent game of this series. The Astros had a big 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 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 help lead the Astros’ offense. Jason Heyward and Mauricio Dubon each drove in two for Houston’s lineup.
Royals Records & Stats
The Royals are 75-60 overall this season, and they are 1.5 games behind the Guardians for the AL Central lead. Kansas City lost the first game of this series vs. the Astros, and they have dropped two straight games overall. So far, they have been good against other teams in the AL Central, going 29-14.
At home, the Royals have gone 41-28 this season and are just above .500 at 34-32 on the road. This season, the Royals are 43-25 when favored and 32-35 as the underdog. Kansas City has won two straight series on the road, and their overall series record is 20-21-2 this year. So far, they are 5-5 in their last 10 games.
When the Royals are on the road, they have been a solid bet against the run line, going 36-30. Their average run margin in those games is +0.8 runs per game. They have been favored in 68 games and have gone 35-33 against the run line in those games. They have been an underdog in 67 games and have gone 40-27 against the run line in those games. Their average run margin in winning games is +4.1 runs per game, while their average run margin in losing games is -3.4 runs per game. They have failed to cover the run line in two straight road games.
The Kansas City Royals are on the road today against the Houston Astros. The over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs. The Royals have an over/under record of 63-68 this season, and their games have averaged a combined 9.0 runs per game. When the over/under line has been set at 8 runs this season, the Royals have a record of 14-11-2. The over has hit in two straight games for Kansas City.
Seth Lugo will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Phillies, as he gets the start for the Royals today vs. the Astros. In that last start, Lugo took the loss, giving up five earned runs in 5 1/3 innings of work. Before that outing, he had pitched well, picking up the win vs. the Angels and giving up just two earned runs in seven innings of work. Lugo’s record for the season is 14-8, and his ERA is 3.19. Out of his 27 starts, Lugo has turned in 18 quality starts and has a WHIP of 1.12.
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 league’s top power-hitting teams, as they are 14th in home runs and have the 4th best team batting average in the league. Kansas City’s lineup has been tough to strike out this season, as they have the 2nd fewest strikeouts in the league.
Bobby Witt Jr. has been one of the league’s top hitters this season, batting .344 with 28 homers and 95 RBIs. Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino have also been big run producers this season, with Perez having 94 RBIs and Pasquantino driving in 97 runs. Perez has also gone deep 25 times this season. In his last five games, Perez is 7/20 with two homers and six RBIs.
Astros Records & Stats
The Astros are 72-62 overall this season, and they lead the AL West by four games over the Mariners. Houston has taken the first game of their series vs. the Royals and have an overall division record of 21-18. The Astros are currently on a two-game winning streak, and they are just 4-6 across their last 10 games.
At home, the Astros are 36-29 this season and have gone 36-33 on the road. As the favorite, the Astros are 54-43 this year and 18-19 as the underdog. So far, their overall series record is 23-18-2.
When the Astros are the favorite, they are 44-53 against the run line. When they are the underdog, they are 25-12 against the run line. Their average run differential for the season is +0.6 runs per game. They have a run line record of 69-65 overall and are 30-35 at home. Their average run differential in winning games is +3.8 runs per game, while their average run differential in losing games is -3.1 runs per game. Their current run line win streak is 2 games.
The Astros are playing at home against the Royals today, and the over/under line is set at 8 runs. The combined run average in Astros games this season is 8.6 runs, and their over/under record is 53-76. The average over/under line in their games is 9 runs, and their over/under record when the line is set at 8 runs is 11-13-2. Overall, 60.4% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs.
Left-hander Framber Valdez gets the start for the Astros today as he faces the Royals at home. He has made 23 starts this season and has a record of 13-6 with a 3.27 ERA. Valdez’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.14, and opponents are batting .230 this year. In his last outing, Valdez took the loss, giving up three earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work. Before that, he had won three straight starts. Valdez has one complete game and 13 quality starts this year. Per nine innings, he is averaging 8.73 strikeouts and 2.76 walks.
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. This has pushed his season-long batting average to .313, which is 2nd on the team, and his 28 homers are 9th in the league. Alvarez’s 71 RBIs are also the 2nd most on the team, behind Yainer Diaz’s 72.
As a team, the Astros are 2nd in the league in batting average at .261 and are averaging 4.6 runs per game. They have been especially good at home, averaging 4.7 runs per contest. Overall, they are 10th in home runs and have the 3rd fewest strikeouts in the league.