Houston Astros at Kansas City Royals MLB Point Spread Picks 9/14/2019

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Kauffman Stadium

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Zack Greinke vs. Mike Montgomery

Michael Brantley and the Houston Astros (95-53, 1st in AL West) travel to Kauffman Stadium on Saturday where they'll take on the Kansas City Royals (55-92, 4th in AL Central). The Royals open this matchup at +305 while the Astros are coming in at -350. The O/U is set at 9.

The Astros have been awful for Las Vegas oddsmakers, having gone 95-53-0 SU. The Royals are covering 37.4% of the time, going 55-92-0 straight up.

Valuable Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Astros have been an inconsistent Under choice for O/U baseball bettors, having gone 66-76-6.

The Astros are covering 52.9% of the time as the road team, having gone 37-33-0 straight up.

Important Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

Kansas City is covering 38.9% of the time at Kauffman Stadium, going 28-44-0 SU.

The Royals have been an inconsistent Under choice for O/U baseball bettors, having gone 75-66-6.

Key Houston Astros Injuries

9/11/2019 Yuli Gurriel 1B Hamstring Probable for Sep 13
9/10/2019 Ryan Pressly RP Knee Expected to be out until at least Sep 20
9/9/2019 Collin McHugh RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 24
9/9/2019 Brad Peacock SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 20
9/5/2019 Carlos Correa SS Back Expected to be out until at least Sep 20
9/5/2019 Aaron Sanchez SP Shoulder Out for the season
6/9/2019 Lance McCullers SP Elbow Out for the season

Key Kansas City Royals Injuries

9/12/2019 Kelvin Gutierrez 3B Toe Out for the season
8/29/2019 Brad Keller SP Rest Out for the season
8/16/2019 Trevor Oaks SP Hip Expected to be out until at least Sep 20
3/11/2019 Salvador Perez C Elbow Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Astros have a 95-53 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Zack Greinke has a 15-5 record with an earned run average of 2.99 and a WHIP of 1.00 this season. He has 167 strikeouts over his 189.1 innings pitched and he's given up 160 hits. He's allowed 7.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.34. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.88 and they have given up 439 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .228 against the bullpen and they've struck out 553 hitters and walked 181 batters. As a team, Houston allows 7.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.2 batters per nine innings. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 3.79. The Astros pitchers collectively have given up 1,110 base hits and 561 earned runs. They have allowed 221 home runs this season, ranking them 8th in the league. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 416 batters and struck out 1,518. They have walked 2.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 10.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.14 and their FIP as a unit is 4.11.

Related: Get MLB picks & tips on all of today's games

Hitting Statistics

As a team Houston is hitting .276, good for 1st in the league. The Astros hold a .494 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .353, which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 3rd in MLB with 9.6 hits per game. Michael Brantley is hitting .321 with an on-base percentage of .380. He has 172 hits this season in 536 at bats with 85 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .519 and an OPS+ of 133. Alex Bregman is hitting .294 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .415. He has totaled 150 hits and he has driven in 103 men in 510 at bats. His OPS+ is 156 while his slugging percentage is at .575. The Astros have 1,414 hits, including 301 doubles and 255 home runs. Houston has walked 579 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,066 times as a unit. They have left 1,057 men on base and have a team OPS of .846. They score 5.68 runs per contest and have scored a total of 841 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Kansas City has a 55-92 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.77, Mike Montgomery has a 3-8 record and a 1.57 WHIP. He has 61 strikeouts over the 77.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 96 hits. He's allowing 11.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.11. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.01 and they have given up 542 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .271 against the Royals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 481 batters and walked 232 opposing hitters. As a team, Kansas City allows 9.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.8 batters per nine innings. They are 26th in the league in team earned run average at 5.12. The Royals pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,385 base knocks and 737 earned runs this season. They have given up 196 home runs this year, which ranks 18th in Major League Baseball. Kansas City as a staff has walked 518 hitters and struck out 1,123 batters. They give up a walk 3.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.47 while their FIP as a staff is 4.82.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .245, good for 24th in the league. The Royals hold a .401 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .308, which is good for 25th in baseball. They rank 22nd in MLB with 8.3 hits per contest. Hunter Dozier comes into this matchup batting .291 with an OBP of .363. He has 135 hits this year along with 82 RBI in 464 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .554 with an OPS+ of 137. Whit Merrifield is hitting .305 this season and he has an OBP of .353. He has collected 188 hits in 617 at bats while driving in 72 runs. He has an OPS+ of 115 and a slugging percentage of .470. The Royals as a unit have 1,223 base hits, including 246 doubles and 154 homers. Kansas City has walked 418 times this year and they have struck out on 1,241 occasions. They have had 950 men left on base and have an OPS of .709. They have scored 4.29 runs per game and totaled 630 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Astros (-350)

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