Houston Astros vs Kansas City Royals Picks and Predictions August 29th 2024

Thursday’s matchup between the Royals and Astros is set for 8:10 PM ET from Minute Maid Park in Houston, and the Astros are favored on the money line, with their odds sitting at -153. The money line odds for a Royals win are at +129, and the Astros are currently leading the AL West, while the Royals are second in the AL Central.

The over/under line is sitting at 8 runs, and the forecast for Thursday’s game calls for temperatures in the mid-80s with partly cloudy skies. Hunter Brown is starting for the Astros, while the Royals are going with Brady Singer.

Kansas City vs. Houston Key Information

Brady Singer will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Phillies, as he gets the start for the Royals today. In that start, which came on August 24th, Singer took the loss, giving up five earned runs in five innings of work. Looking back over his last three starts, Singer has allowed at least four earned runs in each outing. The right-hander’s record for the season is 9-9, and his ERA is 3.38. Singer has made 26 starts this year and has a WHIP of 1.25. Opposing batters are hitting .250 off Singer this season.

Heading into today’s game, the Royals are 5th in the league in runs scored at 4.9 runs per game. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.2 runs per game. Overall, they are batting .258 as a team (4th) and are the league’s 2nd toughest team to strike out against. The Royals are also near the top of the league in slugging percentage and team OPS.

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Bobby Witt Jr. has been on a tear of late, going 8/28 in his last seven games with three homers. For the season, he is batting .346 with a team-high 28 homers. Salvador Perez has also been swinging a hot bat, going 11/27 in his last seven games with three homers. Perez is batting .281 for the season with 25 homers.

Hunter Brown is getting the start for the Astros today and comes into the game with a record of 11-7 and an ERA of 3.72. In his 25 starts, he has turned in 15 quality starts and is averaging 9.68 strikeouts per nine innings. Brown’s last outing came against the Orioles, where he finished with a no-decision, going six innings and giving up one earned run on two hits. Before that, he had won three straight starts. Brown has been much better on the road, coming in with an ERA of 11.89 compared to 3.55 at home.

Yordan Alvarez has been one of the league’s top power hitters this season, as his 28 homers are 9th in the league and lead the Astros. He is also 2nd on the team with 71 RBIs. Alvarez has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 6/12 in his last three games, with three homers and four RBIs. Catcher Yainer Diaz has also been a big run producer for the Astros, as his 72 RBIs lead the team.

Over his last five games, Ben Gamel has gone 8/18 for the Astros, and he is also on a five-game hitting streak. For the season, Gamel is batting .289. As a team, the Astros are 2nd in the league in batting average at .261 and are averaging 4.6 runs per game.

Today’s game between the Royals and Astros has the 7th highest combined runs projection and 6th highest total hits projection. But with the line sitting at 8 runs, we are still leaning towards taking the over. As for who is going to take this one straight up, we like the Royals to come out on top. Brady Singer is 5th in our projections in innings pitched, while Hunter Brown is making his first career start for the Astros.

Royals Try to Shake Off Setback Ahead of Opener at Houston

The Kansas City Royals, who briefly shared the top spot in the American League Central, are looking to bounce back as they head into a four-game road series against the Houston Astros starting on Thursday. After winning the first three games of their series against the Cleveland Guardians, the Royals saw their momentum stall with a 7-5 loss on Wednesday, where they gave up a late three-run lead. The loss allowed Cleveland to reclaim sole possession of first place in the AL Central.

Despite the setback, the Royals’ recent surge has been impressive, having climbed back into contention after trailing Cleveland by 10 games as recently as June 25. Royals manager Matt Quatraro remained positive despite Wednesday’s loss, emphasizing the importance of staying focused:

“When you get the first three, you want to win the fourth,” Quatraro said. “So it’s disappointing but by no means should this put a damper on what these guys accomplished. It’s a race. We’re going to be back and forth. It’s not the last game we’re going to lose this year and it’s not the end of the world. We need to come out (Thursday) and be ready to go.”

Brady Singer Takes the Mound

Right-hander Brady Singer (9-9, 3.38 ERA) will take the mound for the Royals on Thursday. Singer is coming off a challenging outing where he allowed five runs on a season-high 11 hits over five-plus innings in an 11-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday. His career numbers against the Astros are mixed, with a 1-2 record and a 4.57 ERA in four starts. However, Singer was successful in his last outing against Houston on April 11, where he earned the win after allowing just one run over five innings.

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Hunter Brown Seeks Redemption

The Astros will counter with right-hander Hunter Brown (11-7, 3.72 ERA), who has been in excellent form lately. Brown has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 12 of his last 14 starts and has posted a 10-2 record with a 2.12 ERA during that span. In his most recent outing, Brown yielded two runs (one earned) on three hits over six innings in a no-decision against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday.

However, Brown has struggled mightily against the Royals in his career. He is 0-2 with a staggering 36.82 ERA in two starts against Kansas City. His worst performance came on April 11, when he allowed nine runs on 11 hits in just two-thirds of an inning in a loss to the Royals.

Astros Look to Build on Momentum

The Astros are coming off a dominant 10-0 victory over the Phillies on Wednesday, a game in which they recorded a season-high-tying 18 hits, including three home runs by Yordan Alvarez. Rookie right-hander Spencer Arrighetti flirted with history, taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning before it was broken up. The victory capped a challenging road trip where Houston went 3-4.

Astros manager Joe Espada took the opportunity to rest some of his regulars, including Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman, in the eighth inning, even with the no-hitter in progress. With a stretch of 18 games over 18 days, Espada prioritized keeping his players healthy:

“My first thought is we are playing 18 straight (games),” Espada said. “I’ve got to give my guys a little breather. I’m very much aware of the no-hitter and where everybody is at, but right now we have bigger goals which is (to) win this division. So I’ve got to do everything in my power to make sure everybody is healthy and everybody is recovered for (Thursday).”