Yordan Alvarez belted a solo home run in the ninth inning that allowed the Houston Astros to complete a rally from a 6-3 eighth-inning deficit against the Kansas City Royals Monday night. The Astros have now won two consecutive victories by walk-off and anyone making MLB picks today can bet Houston use a break from the drama. Being locked in a battle with Kansas City, which sits in last place in the AL Central is the last thing the Astros want a repeat of.
By their standards, the Kansas City Royals have been playing OK baseball as of late. Kansas City is 4-6 over the past 10 games and will have three more games against Houston to look forward to before it heads back home for a series with division rival Cleveland.
Last game records
Houston beat Kansas City 7-6 Monday night. The Astros are 52-27, while Kansas City is 29-49.
Matchup information
Royals at Astros Betting Analysis
Kansas City Analysis
Of all the MLB matchups the Royals could have wasted a performance against, losing on a late rally by the first-place Astros had to be devastating. Kansas City catcher MJ Melendez hit a season-high two home runs, including a solo home run that gave the Royals a 6-3 lead in the eighth inning. Kansas City has shown much power this season, ranking 25th in the MLB with 65 home runs.
The Royals will send pitcher Zack Greinke to the mound. Greinke is 2-4 this season with Kansas City and has a 4.38 ERA. The Royals have won Greinke’s previous two starts. In fact, it appeared the Greinke of old had come back.
Greinke has gone six innings in each start and only allowed one earned run against the Texas Rangers and Oakland A’s. Offensively, Kansas City hasn’t had much punch this season, only averaging 3.87 runs per game, which ranks 27th.
Houston Analysis
Luis Garcia will take the bump for the Astros. MLB stats show that Houston has won the last three games Garcia started. In all three of those starts, Garcia went six or fewer innings but had five or more strikeouts in each game. Garcia has fanned 80 batters n 76.1 innings of work this season.
Houston’s pitching staff has done a good job collectively thus far this season. As a staff, the Astros have compiled a 2.93 ERA, which ranks second in the MLB. Houston also has struck out 7.47 batters per game, which ranks third in the league.
The Astros’ offense is centered around their power. Houston ranks fourth in the league with 114 home runs, while the Houston Astros have a .744 OPS, which ranks fifth in the league. Alvarez leads the team with 24 home runs and 57 RBIs. Jose Altuve and Kyle Tucker have each hit 16 home runs apiece.
Updates
Houston designated hitter Michael Brantley is on the 10-day IL. Kansas City doesn’t have any new injuries of note.
- Houston is 42-37 against the run line.
- Kansas City is 34-44 against the run line.
- The Astros are 25-26 straight up following a win.
- The Royals are 21-27 straight up following a loss.
- The over is 27-49-3 in Houston’s games this season.
- The over is 38-36-4 in Kansas City’s games this season.
Royals at Astros Betting Preview
MLB odds have Houston as a -245 favorite, while the Royals are +210 on the money line. The over/under is eight runs.
Royals at Astros Betting Prediction
MLB standings show the disparity between these two teams put them in totally different situations. Houston is pursuing another World Series championship, while Kansas City is wading through another rebuilding season. Greinke has been pitching well as of late, but he hasn’t faced the toughest competition.
Garcia, meanwhile, has strung together three strong starts against some of the best teams in the American League. Expect Houston to put Greinke in a few tough spots with Kansas City not being able to provide the same kind of run support. The Astros should win this game in a game that goes above the total.
How to bet on Royals at Astros
Bet over eight runs.
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