Kansas City Royals at Houston Astros MLB Picks 5/6/2019

Monday, May 6, 2019

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jakob Junis vs. Gerrit Cole

The Kansas City Royals visit Minute Maid Park on Monday, May 6, 2019 to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Jakob Junis for the Royals and Gerrit Cole for the Astros.

The opening line for this matchup has Kansas City at +225 and Houston at -245. The Royals have a 20-13-1 over/under record and a 19-15-0 run line mark. The Astros are 13-20-0 against the run line and have a 13-19-1 over/under record.

Valuable Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 20-13-1 against the over/under

The Kansas City Royals are 19-15-0 against the run line

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 13-19-1 against the over/under

The Houston Astros are 13-20-0 against the run line

Key Kansas City Royals Injuries

04/27/19 1B Lucas Duda Back 10-day IL (04/24)
03/25/19 C Salvador Perez Elbow is out for season
03/25/19 P Trevor Oaks Hip 60-day IL (03/25)
03/25/19 P Brian Flynn Elbow 10-day IL (03/25)
03/25/19 P Eric Skoglund Suspension 80 game suspension
03/25/19 P Jesse Hahn Elbow 60-day IL (03/25)

Key Houston Astros Injuries

03/28/19 P Joe Smith Achilles 10-day IL (03/25)
03/28/19 P Lance McCullers Jr Elbow 10-day IL (03/25); is out for season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Royals have a 12-22 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jakob Junis has a 3-2 record with an earned run average of 5.12 and a WHIP of 1.45 this season. He has 34 strikeouts over his 38.2 innings pitched and he's given up 44 hits. He's allowed 10.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.14. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.14 and they have given up 120 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .273 against the bullpen and they've struck out 105 hitters and walked 53 batters. As a team, Kansas City allows 9.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.8 batters per nine innings. They are 27th in the league in team earned run average at 5.02. The Royals pitchers collectively have given up 303 base hits and 167 earned runs. They have allowed 40 home runs this season, ranking them 20th in the league. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 125 batters and struck out 260. They have walked 3.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.43 and their FIP as a unit is 4.60.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Kansas City is hitting .246, good for 16th in the league. The Royals hold a .433 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .321, which is good for 19th in baseball. They rank 19th in MLB with 8.3 hits per game. Whit Merrifield is hitting .295 with an on-base percentage of .353. He has 41 hits this season in 139 at bats with 14 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .532 and an OPS+ of 135. Jorge Soler is hitting .254 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .298. He has totaled 33 hits and he has driven in 23 men in 130 at bats. His OPS+ is 112 while his slugging percentage is at .508. The Royals have 281 hits, including 58 doubles and 39 home runs. Kansas City has walked 120 times so far this season and they have struck out 291 times as a unit. They have left 222 men on base and have a team OPS of .754. They score 4.76 runs per contest and have scored a total of 162 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 19-14 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.95, Gerrit Cole has a 2-4 record and a 1.04 WHIP. He has 65 strikeouts over the 43.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 30 hits. He's allowing 6.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.97. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.91 and they have given up 69 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .198 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 102 batters and walked 29 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 6.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.4 batters per nine innings. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.57. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 219 base knocks and 114 earned runs this season. They have given up 37 home runs this year, which ranks 21st in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 82 hitters and struck out 301 batters. They give up a walk 2.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.05 while their FIP as a staff is 3.66.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .271, good for 1st in the league. The Astros hold a .478 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .344, which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 2nd in MLB with 9.2 hits per contest. George Springer comes into this matchup batting .276 with an OBP of .365. He has 35 hits this year along with 27 RBI in 127 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .567 with an OPS+ of 149. Michael Brantley is hitting .333 this season and he has an OBP of .380. He has collected 42 hits in 126 at bats while driving in 22 runs. He has an OPS+ of 147 and a slugging percentage of .540. The Astros as a unit have 302 base hits, including 63 doubles and 54 homers. Houston has walked 122 times this year and they have struck out on 246 occasions. They have had 236 men left on base and have an OPS of .822. They have scored 4.88 runs per game and totaled 161 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Royals +225

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