Houston Astros at Kansas City Royals 6/17/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Sunday, June 17, 2018

Kauffman Stadium

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Lance McCullers vs. Brad Keller

Kauffman Stadium is the site of the matchup between the Houston Astros and the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, June 17, 2018. The probable starting pitchers are Lance McCullers for the Astros and Brad Keller for the Royals.

Houston opens at -240 while Kansas City opens at +220. The Astros have a 32-35-4 over/under record and a 40-31-0 run line mark. The Royals are 29-40-0 against the run line and have a 26-39-4 over/under record.

Valuable Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 32-35-4 against the over/under

The Houston Astros are 40-31-0 against the run line

Important Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 26-39-4 against the over/under

The Kansas City Royals are 29-40-0 against the run line

Key Houston Astros Injuries

06/11/18 P Joe Smith Elbow 10-day DL (06/07)
05/21/18 LF Derek Fisher Intestinal 10-day DL (05/20)
03/30/18 P Brady Rodgers Elbow 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P James Hoyt Oblique 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Jandel Gustave Elbow 10-day DL (03/26)

Key Kansas City Royals Injuries

06/16/18 LF Jorge Soler Foot is out indefinitely
05/31/18 P Blaine Boyer Back 10-day DL (05/29)
05/27/18 P Eric Skoglund Arm 10-day DL (05/26)
05/21/18 3B Cheslor Cuthbert Back 10-day DL (05/16)
03/30/18 P Nathan Karns Elbow 60-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 CF Bubba Starling Oblique 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Jesse Hahn Elbow 60-day DL (03/06)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Astros have a 46-25 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Lance McCullers has a 8-3 record with an earned run average of 3.83 and a WHIP of 1.19 this year. He has 81 strikeouts over his 82.1 innings pitched and he's given up 66 hits. He's allowed 7.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.66. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.86 and they have given up 161 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .221 against the bullpen and they've struck out 231 hitters and walked 48 batters. As a team, Houston allows 6.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.3 batters per nine innings. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.94. The Astros pitchers collectively have given up 491 base hits and 209 earned runs. They have allowed 68 home runs this season, ranking them 25th in the league. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 180 batters and struck out 733. They have walked 2.5 men per 9 innings while striking out 10.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.05 and their FIP as a unit is 3.14.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Houston is hitting .265, good for 1st in the league. The Astros hold a .437 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .335, which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 3rd in MLB with 9.1 hits per game. Jose Altuve is hitting .337 with an on-base percentage of .387. He has 97 hits this season in 288 at bats with 35 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .462 and an OPS+ of 142. George Springer is hitting .287 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .361. He has totaled 79 hits and he has driven in 41 men in 275 at bats. His OPS+ is 143 while his slugging percentage is at .498. The Astros have 644 hits, including 135 doubles and 89 home runs. Houston has walked 243 times so far this season and they have struck out 570 times as a unit. They have left 474 men on base and have a team OPS of .772. They score 5.15 runs per contest and have scored a total of 366 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Kansas City has a 22-47 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.31, Brad Keller has a 1-2 record and a 1.23 WHIP this season. He has 23 strikeouts over the 35 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 30 hits. He allows 7.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.34. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.58 and they have given up 247 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .275 against the Royals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 178 batters and walked 92 opposing hitters. As a team, Kansas City allows 9.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.3 batters per nine innings. They are 30th in the league in team earned run average at 5.3. The Royals pitchers as a team have surrendered 674 base knocks and 362 earned runs this season. They have given up 102 home runs this year, which ranks 1st in Major League Baseball. Kansas City as a staff has walked 219 hitters and struck out 496 batters. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.3 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.45 while their FIP as a staff is 4.82.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .244, good for 16th in the league. The Royals hold a .375 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .306, which is good for 25th in baseball. They rank 16th in MLB with 8.4 hits per contest. Mike Moustakas comes into this matchup batting .259 with an OBP of .315. He has 69 hits this year along with 45 RBI in 266 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .477 with an OPS+ of 115. Whit Merrifield is hitting .291 this season and he has an OBP of .367. He has collected 75 hits in 258 at bats while driving in 22 runs. He has an OPS+ of 117 and a slugging percentage of .419. The Royals as a unit have 577 base hits, including 118 doubles and 59 homers. Kansas City has walked 186 times this year and they have struck out on 493 occasions. They have had 470 men left on base and have an OPS of .681. They have scored 3.71 runs per game and totaled 256 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Astros/Royals MLB game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Royals +220

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