Kansas City Royals at Houston Astros MLB Picks 5/8/2019

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jorge Lopez vs. Brad Peacock

The Kansas City Royals visit Minute Maid Park on Wednesday, May 8, 2019 to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Jorge Lopez for the Royals and Brad Peacock for the Astros.

The opening line for this matchup has Kansas City at +207 and Houston at -225. The Royals have a 21-14-1 over/under record and a 19-17-0 run line mark. The Astros are 15-20-0 against the run line and have a 15-19-1 over/under record.

Valuable Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 21-14-1 against the over/under

The Kansas City Royals are 19-17-0 against the run line

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 15-19-1 against the over/under

The Houston Astros are 15-20-0 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

05/07/19 1B Yuli Gurriel Rest is not in the starting lineup Tuesday vs Kansas City Royals
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 12-24 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jorge Lopez has a 0-3 record with an earned run average of 5.09 and a WHIP of 1.35 this season. He has 37 strikeouts over his 40.2 innings pitched and he's given up 41 hits. He's allowed 9.1 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.81. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.14 and they have given up 125 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .269 against the bullpen and they've struck out 113 hitters and walked 54 batters. As a team, Kansas City allows 9.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.9 batters per nine innings. They are 26th in the league in team earned run average at 5.05. The Royals pitchers collectively have given up 323 base hits and 178 earned runs. They have allowed 44 home runs this season, ranking them 13th in the league. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 133 batters and struck out 277. They have walked 3.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.44 and their FIP as a unit is 4.67.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Kansas City is hitting .245, good for 16th in the league. The Royals hold a .429 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .317, which is good for 20th in baseball. They rank 21st in MLB with 8.3 hits per game. Whit Merrifield is hitting .282 with an on-base percentage of .337. He has 42 hits this season in 149 at bats with 14 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .503 and an OPS+ of 123. Adalberto Mondesi is hitting .280 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .314. He has totaled 40 hits and he has driven in 32 men in 143 at bats. His OPS+ is 123 while his slugging percentage is at .531. The Royals have 297 hits, including 60 doubles and 42 home runs. Kansas City has walked 123 times so far this season and they have struck out 312 times as a unit. They have left 236 men on base and have a team OPS of .746. They score 4.67 runs per contest and have scored a total of 168 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 21-14 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 5.28, Brad Peacock has a 2-2 record and a 1.21 WHIP. He has 26 strikeouts over the 30.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 28 hits. He's allowing 8.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.02. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.75 and they have given up 72 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .196 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 104 batters and walked 30 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 6.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.4 batters per nine innings. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 3.6. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 234 base knocks and 122 earned runs this season. They have given up 42 home runs this year, which ranks 20th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 84 hitters and struck out 319 batters. They give up a walk 2.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.04 while their FIP as a staff is 3.76.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .275, good for 1st in the league. The Astros hold a .489 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .348, which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 2nd in MLB with 9.3 hits per contest. George Springer comes into this matchup batting .285 with an OBP of .367. He has 39 hits this year along with 29 RBI in 137 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .584 with an OPS+ of 154. Michael Brantley is hitting .326 this season and he has an OBP of .370. He has collected 44 hits in 135 at bats while driving in 24 runs. He has an OPS+ of 146 and a slugging percentage of .548. The Astros as a unit have 326 base hits, including 68 doubles and 60 homers. Houston has walked 128 times this year and they have struck out on 256 occasions. They have had 248 men left on base and have an OPS of .837. They have scored 5.06 runs per game and totaled 177 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Royals +207

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Guy Bruhn