Astros vs. Royals Betting Odds, Pitching Matchup – September 1, 2024

Yordan Alvarez, batting .312 this season, leads the Houston Astros (74-62) into a matchup with Bobby Witt Jr. (.341 AVG) and the Kansas City Royals (75-62). The Astros are -165 favorites on the moneyline for the matchup at Minute Maid Park, beginning at 2:10 p.m. ET live on SCHN. Ronel Blanco gets the starting nod for Houston while Alec Marsh is Kansas City’s starter for the contest.

Take a look at our betting primer for this contest, and discover all of our expert MLB picks, too!

Astros vs. Royals Betting Lines

• Favorite: Astros (-165)
• Underdog: Royals (+139)
• Over/under: 8.5

Astros vs. Royals Betting Insights

• The Astros have been chosen as favorites in 98 games this year and have walked away with the win 56 times (57.1%) in those games.
• This season Houston has been victorious 22 times in 31 chances when named as a favorite of at least -165 on the moneyline.
• The Astros have an implied victory probability of 62.3% according to the moneyline set for this matchup.
• The Royals have been the underdog on the moneyline 69 total times this season. They’ve finished 31-38 in those games.
• When it has played as a moneyline underdog with odds of +139 or longer, Kansas City has a 3-6 record (winning just 33.3% of its games).
• The Royals have an implied moneyline win probability of 41.8% in this matchup.

Astros vs. Royals Hitting Leaders

• Alvarez leads Houston in homers with 28 while also maintaining a team-best .312 batting average.
• Among all hitters in MLB, Alvarez’s home run total ranks him 13th and his RBI tally places him 40th.
• Jose Altuve has collected 160 hits this season and has an OBP of .350. He’s slugging .441 on the year.
• Witt has racked up a team-best batting average of .341, and leads the Royals in home runs (29).
• Among all hitters in MLB, Witt’s home run total puts him 12th, and his RBI total ranks seventh.
• Salvador Perez is hitting .277 with 26 doubles, 25 home runs and 38 walks.

Astros vs. Royals Pitching Rankings

• The Astros average 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings as a pitching staff, second-most in the league.
• The Astros have the fifth-best ERA (3.71) in the majors this season.
• Astros pitchers have a 1.237 WHIP this season, 10th-best in the majors.
• The Royals pitching staff ranks 24th in the majors with a collective 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings.
• Kansas City has the 11th-ranked team ERA across all MLB pitching staffs (3.91).
• Pitchers for the Royals combine for the 18th-ranked WHIP in the majors (1.272).