Saturday, April 8, 2017

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Danny Duffy vs. Dallas Keuchel

The Kansas City Royals head to Minute Maid Park on Saturday, April 8, 2017 to take on the Houston Astros. The starters are Danny Duffy for the Royals and Dallas Keuchel for the Astros.

The opening line for this game has Kansas City at +135 and Houston at -160. The Royals have a 1-0-2 over/under record and a 0-3-0 run line mark. The Astros are 2-2-0 against the run line and have a 1-3-0 over/under record.

Valuable Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 1-0-2 against the over/under

The Kansas City Royals are 0-3-0 against the run line

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 1-3-0 against the over/under

The Houston Astros are 2-2-0 against the run line

Key Kansas City Royals Injuries

04/02/17 3B Hunter Dozier Oblique 60-day DL (4/2)
04/02/17 LF Jorge Soler Oblique 10-day DL (3/30)
03/31/17 P Brian Flynn Ribs 60-day DL

Key Houston Astros Injuries

03/31/17 P Collin McHugh Undisclosed 10-day DL (3/30)
03/31/17 P David Paulino Undisclosed 10-day DL (3/30)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Royals have a 0-3 overall record this year. Starting pitcher Danny Duffy had a 12-3 record with an earned run average of 3.51 and a WHIP of 1.14. He had 188 strikeouts over his 179.2 innings pitched and he gave up 163 hits last season. He allowed 8.2 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 3.83. The bullpen last year had an earned run average of 3.45 and they gave up 505 base hits on the year. Teams hit .244 against the bullpen while being struck out 509 times and walking 188 times last season. As a team, Kansas City allowed 8.96 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.04 batters per nine innings. They were 17th in the league in team earned run average at 4.21. The Royals pitchers collectively gave up 1,433 base hits and 674 earned runs. They allowed 206 home runs last season and they allowed 1.3 homers per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a pitching staff walked 517 batters and struck out 1,287. They walked 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 8 per 9. They had a team WHIP of 1.35 and their FIP as a unit was 4.42.

For expert handicapping advice on this matchup and other MLB games check out our handicapping tips.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Kansas City batted .261, good for 8th in the league while putting together a .252 average away from home. The Royals held a .400 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .312 which was good for 26th in baseball. They ranked 6th in baseball with 8.96 hits per game. Eric Hosmer is coming off a 2016 season in which he hit .266 with an on-base percentage of .328. He had 161 hits last season along with 80 runs scored and 104 runs batted in. He struck out 132 times and walked 57 times. Alcides Escobar hit .261 last year and he had an on-base percentage of .292. He totaled 166 hits while scoring 57 runs and he drove in 55. He walked 27 times and struck out on 96 occasions. The Royals had 1,450 hits, including 264 doubles and 147 home runs. They stole 121 bases and were thrown out stealing 35 times. Kansas City walked 382 times last season and they struck out 1,224 times as a unit. They left 1,049 men on base and had a team OPS of .712. They scored 4.17 runs per contest and scored a total of 675 runs last year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 3-1 overall mark this season. With an earned run average of 4.55, Dallas Keuchel had a 9-12 record and a 1.29 WHIP last season. He had 144 strikeouts over the 168 innings he pitched during which he gave up 168 hits. He allowed 9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 3.87. Last season the bullpen had an earned run average of 3.56 and they gave up 475 base hits on the year. Teams hit .227 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 617 times and walking 153 times last season. As a team, Houston allowed 8.84 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.56 batters per nine innings. They were 11th in the league in team earned run average at 4.07. The Astros pitchers as a team surrendered 1,441 base knocks and 663 earned runs last season. They gave up 181 home runs last year and they gave up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a staff walked 453 hitters and struck out 1,396. They gave up a walk 2.8 times per 9 innings while they struck out 8.6 per 9. Their team WHIP was 1.29 while their FIP as a staff was 3.85.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they batted .247, good for 24th in the league while putting together a .238 average at home. The Astros held a .417 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .319 which was good for 19th in baseball. They ranked 23rd in baseball with 8.44 hits per contest. Jose Altuve comes into this matchup after batting .338 with an OBP of .396. He had 216 hits last year along with 108 runs scored and 96 RBI. He struck out 70 times and walked on 60 occasions. George Springer hit .261 in 2016 and he had an OBP of .359. He collected 168 hits while scoring 116 runs and driving in 82. He earned a walk 88 times and punched out 178 times. The Astros as a unit had 1,367 base hits, including 291 doubles and 198 homers. They had 102 stolen bases and were thrown out 44 times. Houston as a team walked 554 times last year and they struck out 1,452 times. They had 1,086 men left on base and had an OPS of .735. They scored 4.47 runs per game and totaled 724 runs last season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Royals +135

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