Astros vs. Royals Pick
Can the Houston Astros continue this impressive win streak when they hit the road tonight to face the Kansas City Royals at 8:15PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Astros are favored on the road, as they are getting odds of -140 to win. The Blue Jays are listed with a money line of +115 to prevail, while the over/under total has been set at 9.5 runs. These two have met three times this season, with KC winning two of the three games at Houston.
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Today’s pitching matchup has Mike Fiers (2-2, 4.96 ERA) on the mound for Houston to face Ian Kennedy (0-5, 5.12) of the Royals. Fiers has been steady, but not amazing for the Astros. He has pitched 52.2 innings and has 46 strikeouts with 20 walks and a 1.50 WHIP. Kennedy is really struggling lately, allowing 19 runs over his last four starts, which was a total of 14.1 innings. He has 40 strikeouts with 23 walks and a WHIP of 1.23.
The Astros are the hottest team in baseball, winning 10 straight coming into today’s game. They have swept the Twins and Rangers on the road over the last week. Houston is 41-16 overall and 21-6 on the road. Houston is averaging 5.47 runs per game and allowing just 3.68. Carlos Correa has 11 home runs with 39 RBI and a .315 average. George Springer has added 16 home runs and 37 RBI.
Kansas City is coming off a series win over the Indians, but suffered an 8-0 on the road on Sunday. The Royals are 24-31 overall and 15-14 at home. The Royals are only putting up 3.53 runs per game while allowing 4.44. KC has been led by Eric Hosmer, who is hitting .305 with five home runs, 21 RBI and 11 doubles. Lorenzo Cain is adding 11 doubles and 12 stolen bases while hitting .273.
Fiers has been building toward better starts and that should continue tonight against one of the league’s worst lineups. KC hasn’t been able to consistently put up runs and I don’t think that changes today. Houston has a great lineup with plenty of guys that can drive in runs. That spells trouble for Kennedy, who has been giving up runs in clumps lately. With a team as hot as Houston, I can’t pick against them.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: HOUSTON ASTROS -140