Houston Astros vs Kansas City Royals Picks and Predictions August 31st 2024

First pitch for Saturday’s matchup between the Royals and Astros is set for 7:10 PM ET from Minute Maid Park in Houston. The Astros are the betting favorite, with money line odds of -140, while the Royals are at +118. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs.

Kansas City will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak, as they are 75-61 and in 2nd place in the AL Central. The Astros are 1st in the AL West with a record of 73-62 and are currently on a three-game winning streak. Cole Ragans is starting for the Royals, and he is facing off against Yusei Kikuchi for the Astros.

Kansas City vs. Houston Key Information

Kansas City is sending left-hander Cole Ragans to the mound today vs. the Astros. He has made 27 starts this season and has a record of 10-8 with a 3.28 ERA. Ragans’ WHIP for the season is currently 1.16. In his 27 appearances, he has turned in 17 quality starts and is averaging 10.77 strikeouts per nine innings. Ragans’ last outing came vs. the Guardians, where he finished with a no-decision, giving up one earned run in four innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts.

For the season, the Royals are averaging 4.8 runs per game, which is 7th in the league. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.2 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .256, which is 4th in the league, and are also one of the league’s best teams at avoiding strikeouts. Overall, they are 12th in home runs and have the 7th best slugging percentage in the league.

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Over the last five games, Maikel Garcia has gone 7/15 for the Royals, and Paul DeJong has three homers in this stretch. For the season, Bobby Witt Jr. is hitting .341 with a team-high 28 homers, and his 95 RBIs are 2nd on the team and 6th in the league.

Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi gets the start for the Astros today as he faces the Royals at home. Kikuchi has made 27 starts this season and has a record of 6-9 with an ERA of 4.38. So far, he has turned in eight quality starts and is averaging 10.34 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, Kikuchi finished with a no-decision, giving up three earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts. The left-hander has been much better on the road, coming in with a record of 4-2 and 5.5 ERA compared to 2-7 with a 4.82 ERA at home.

Yordan Alvarez has been on a tear of late for the Astros, going 11/29 in his last seven games with three homers. Alvarez is already 8th in the league with 28 homers this season, and his 71 RBIs are the 2nd most on the team. Catcher Yainer Diaz is the team’s top run producer, with 72 RBIs and has also been a strong batting average hitter this season, coming in at .299.

For the season, the Astros are averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 13th in the league. They are also one of the top home run hitting teams in the league, and are batting .261 as a team, which is the 2nd best mark in the MLB. As a team, they are 4th in fewest strikeouts per game.

Our lean for an over/under pick would be to take the over, as this is projected to be the 4th lowest-scoring game of the day, but the line is set at the 3rd lowest total. As for who is going to take this one straight-up, we have our lean on the Royals to pick up the win. Kansas City’s offense is projected to have the fewest team strikeouts in the league today, and Cole Ragans is 6th in chances to pick up a win. On the other side, Yusei Kikuchi has the 6th best strikeout projection among today’s starters.

After Late-Inning Heroics, Astros Seek Third Consecutive Win Over Royals

The Houston Astros aim to clinch their third straight win against the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night, after two consecutive walk-off wins that have maintained the team’s strong momentum. Nevertheless, these wins were not achieved without some late-game excitement, especially in terms of defense.

Late-inning drama is caused by defensive mistakes.

During the game on Friday, Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña made a crucial mistake in the field at the beginning of the ninth inning, which allowed Royals third baseman Paul DeJong to hit a two-run home run off Houston closer Josh Hader to tie the game. In spite of the mistake, Hader still secured the win thanks to José Altuve’s walk-off RBI double in the ninth inning, giving the Astros a 3-2 victory. This win secured the outcome that Houston would, at the very least, evenly split the four-game series.

Peña’s error on Friday followed another one he made on Thursday, which fueled a three-run rally by the Royals in the seventh inning that erased a 2-0 Astros lead. Although Houston ultimately won that game 6-3 thanks to a four-run rally in the eighth, Peña’s recent struggles have been noticeable. His season total has now reached 18 errors, surpassing the 14 errors he committed over 150 games last season.

Despite these defensive lapses, Astros manager Joe Espada expressed unwavering confidence in Peña.

“If there is someone that I want a ground ball to go to in any inning, it’s Jeremy Peña,” Espada said. “There’s a reason why he’s a Gold Glove shortstop. There’s a reason why he’s the shortstop for this team, and he will be for many, many years. He’s a really reliable, solid shortstop. You go through stretches where stuff happens. (Saturday) he’s going to be playing shortstop for the Houston Astros because he is one of the best in the game.”

Kikuchi Takes the Mound for the Astros

Southpaw Yusei Kikuchi (6-9, 4.39 ERA) is scheduled to pitch for the Astros on Saturday. After being traded from the Toronto Blue Jays on July 29, the Astros have won all five games that Kikuchi has started. He has a record of 2 wins and 0 losses with a 2.89 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 28 innings while playing for Houston, confirming his position in the starting lineup.

Kikuchi has experienced a varied performance history when facing the Royals, with a 2-2 record and a 5.80 ERA in eight career starts. He pitched for the Blue Jays in his most recent game against Kansas City on April 22, giving up two runs on five hits in a 5-3 win, throwing for six innings.
Ragans on the Hill for the Royals

The Royals will respond with southpaw Cole Ragans (10-8, 3.28 ERA). Ragans is currently having a standout season, achieving personal bests in victories, appearances (27), and strikeouts (187). In his last 18 appearances, he has shown great skill, with a 2.85 ERA and 12 quality starts.

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Ragans has faced challenges when playing against the Astros throughout his career, with a record of 1 win and 2 losses, along with a 5.40 ERA in six games, five of which he started. During his latest appearance against Houston on April 9, he gave up three runs on 10 hits in five innings but didn’t play a role in the outcome.

Royalty Manage Injuries

The Royals are facing the absence of first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, who broke his right thumb after colliding with Houston’s Yainer Diaz in the eighth inning of Thursday’s game. Pasquantino, the top RBI leader for the Royals with 97, will have surgery and is predicted to be out of action for six to eight weeks.

During Pasquantino’s nonattendance, Salvador Perez played as the first baseman on Friday, and Royals manager Matt Quatraro mentioned that he would alternate players at the position in the future.

“That team concept has to continue,” Quatraro said. “No one person is going to carry the weight of Vinnie on a daily basis, but we have plenty of good major league players here to contribute to winning baseball.”
Series Outlook

The Astros are looking to secure their third straight victory by counting on Yusei Kikuchi’s solid pitching and wishing for a defensive comeback from Jeremy Peña. The Royals will require support from all players on the team to prevent falling farther behind in the series with Pasquantino’s potential absence. Both teams facing difficulties, Saturday’s game is expected to be closely contested.