Kansas City Royals at Houston Astros 6/23/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Saturday, June 23, 2018

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Ian Kennedy vs. Lance McCullers

The Kansas City Royals visit Minute Maid Park on Saturday, June 23, 2018 to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Ian Kennedy for the Royals and Lance McCullers for the Astros.

The opening line for this matchup has Kansas City at +283 and Houston at -320. The Royals have a 28-42-4 over/under record and a 29-45-0 run line mark. The Astros are 43-33-0 against the run line and have a 35-37-4 over/under record.

Valuable Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 28-42-4 against the over/under

The Kansas City Royals are 29-45-0 against the run line

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 35-37-4 against the over/under

The Houston Astros are 43-33-0 against the run line

Key Kansas City Royals Injuries

06/17/18 LF Jorge Soler Foot 10-day DL (06/16)
05/31/18 P Blaine Boyer Back 10-day DL (05/29)
05/27/18 P Eric Skoglund Arm 60-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)

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)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Royals have a 22-52 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Ian Kennedy has a 1-7 record with an earned run average of 5.31 and a WHIP of 1.52 this season. He has 75 strikeouts over his 79.2 innings pitched and he's given up 90 hits. He's allowed 10.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.69. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.53 and they have given up 264 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .276 against the bullpen and they've struck out 191 hitters and walked 101 batters. As a team, Kansas City allows 9.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.2 batters per nine innings. They are 30th in the league in team earned run average at 5.32. The Royals pitchers collectively have given up 725 base hits and 390 earned runs. They have allowed 108 home runs this season, ranking them 1st in the league. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 245 batters and struck out 531. They have walked 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.47 and their FIP as a unit is 4.84.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Kansas City is hitting .241, good for 17th in the league. The Royals hold a .369 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .303, which is good for 27th in baseball. They rank 17th in MLB with 8.2 hits per game. Mike Moustakas is hitting .263 with an on-base percentage of .319. He has 74 hits this season in 281 at bats with 48 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .480 and an OPS+ of 118. Whit Merrifield is hitting .287 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .367. He has totaled 78 hits and he has driven in 23 men in 272 at bats. His OPS+ is 116 while his slugging percentage is at .412. The Royals have 609 hits, including 124 doubles and 61 home runs. Kansas City has walked 197 times so far this season and they have struck out 530 times as a unit. They have left 497 men on base and have a team OPS of .672. They score 3.62 runs per contest and have scored a total of 268 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 50-26 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.77, Lance McCullers has a 8-3 record and a 1.20 WHIP. He has 90 strikeouts over the 88.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 72 hits. He's allowing 7.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.63. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.72 and they have given up 166 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .215 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 250 batters and walked 52 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 6.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.4 batters per nine innings. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.86. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 519 base knocks and 217 earned runs this season. They have given up 71 home runs this year, which ranks 25th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 197 hitters and struck out 788 batters. They give up a walk 2.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.05 while their FIP as a staff is 3.12.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .267, good for 1st in the league. The Astros hold a .440 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .337, which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 1st in MLB with 9.1 hits per contest. Jose Altuve comes into this matchup batting .347 with an OBP of .401. He has 105 hits this year along with 39 RBI in 303 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .495 with an OPS+ of 155. George Springer is hitting .279 this season and he has an OBP of .355. He has collected 82 hits in 294 at bats while driving in 42 runs. He has an OPS+ of 138 and a slugging percentage of .486. The Astros as a unit have 695 base hits, including 144 doubles and 96 homers. Houston has walked 260 times this year and they have struck out on 602 occasions. They have had 505 men left on base and have an OPS of .777. They have scored 5.18 runs per game and totaled 394 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Royals +283

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