Astros vs. Royals Prediction
Will the Kansas City Royals have any luck competing with the Houston Astros tonight at 8:15PM ET when the two open a weekend series.
Game Snapshot & Odds
919 Houston Astros at 920 Kansas City Royals
Friday, June 15, 2018
8:15PM ET – Kauffman Stadium
TV: FSKC (KC); ATSW (Hou)
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Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers, the Astros are favored on the road, as they are getting odds of -220 to win, while the Royals are listed with a money line of +180 to prevail. The over/under total has been set at 9 runs. The public betting for this game has 86 percent going on Houston on the road. This information is subject to change, however, so be sure to check out our MLB Public Betting Page for updated figures on the game.
Astros on a tear
Houston is back to playing like the best team in baseball, as they have won their last eight games, including sweeps at Texas and Oakland in the last week. The Astros are now 45-25 overall and 26-11 on the road. Houston is putting up 5.13 runs per game this season while allowing just 3.10 per contest.
Charlie Morton gets the start today. He has started 13 games this season and has a 7-1 record with a 2.82 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. Morton went just 3.2 innings in his last start and gave up six runs in the start prior. Still, he has 96 strikeouts and 29 walks over 76.2 innings this year.
Royals struggling at the plate
The Royals come in having lost three straight and nine of their last 10. They have been held to two runs or less in six straight games. KC is now 22-46 overall and 10-23 at home. The Royals are scoring only 3.72 runs per game this year and giving up 5.50 per contest.
Jakob Junis will take the mound for the Royals this evening. He is 5-6 on the year through 13 starts with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. Junis has pitched a total of 80.0 innings this season and has 76 strikeouts with 19 walks.
MLB Betting Trends
Houston
The Astros have won 22 of their last 29 road games and five of Morton’s last six Friday starts. They have also won 49 of their last 72 series openers.
Kansas City
The Royals are 1-4 in their last five home games and 1-7 in their last eight against AL West opponents. They are also 2-10 in their last 12 games after a day off.
Prediction:
The Royals are a mess at the plate right now and they have to face the league’s best rotation this weekend. I don’t see that resulting in a lot of good results. Houston is locked in at the plate and on the mound right now and I don’t see a slip up happening today. Junis doesn’t have the stuff to shut down this Houston lineup.
The Pick: Houston Astros -220