Houston Astros at Kansas City Royals 6/15/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Friday, June 15, 2018

Kauffman Stadium

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Charlie Morton vs. Jakob Junis

Kauffman Stadium is the site of the matchup between the Houston Astros and the Kansas City Royals on Friday, June 15, 2018. The probable starting pitchers are Charlie Morton for the Astros and Jakob Junis for the Royals.

Houston opens at -200 while Kansas City opens at +185. The Astros have a 30-35-4 over/under record and a 38-31-0 run line mark. The Royals are 29-39-0 against the run line and have a 25-39-4 over/under record.

Valuable Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 30-35-4 against the over/under

The Houston Astros are 38-31-0 against the run line

Important Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 25-39-4 against the over/under

The Kansas City Royals are 29-39-0 against the run line

Key Houston Astros Injuries

06/11/18 P Joe Smith Elbow 10-day DL (06/07)
05/21/18 LF Derek Fisher Intestinal 10-day DL (05/20)
03/30/18 P Brady Rodgers Elbow 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P James Hoyt Oblique 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Jandel Gustave Elbow 10-day DL (03/26)

Key Kansas City Royals Injuries

05/31/18 P Blaine Boyer Back 10-day DL (05/29)
05/27/18 P Eric Skoglund Arm 10-day DL (05/26)
05/21/18 3B Cheslor Cuthbert Back 10-day DL (05/16)
03/30/18 P Nathan Karns Elbow 60-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 CF Bubba Starling Oblique 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Jesse Hahn Elbow 60-day DL (03/06)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Astros have a 44-25 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Charlie Morton has a 7-1 record with an earned run average of 2.82 and a WHIP of 1.12 this year. He has 96 strikeouts over his 76.2 innings pitched and he's given up 57 hits. He's allowed 6.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.9. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.94 and they have given up 160 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .225 against the bullpen and they've struck out 224 hitters and walked 48 batters. As a team, Houston allows 7 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.3 batters per nine innings. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.94. The Astros pitchers collectively have given up 481 base hits and 203 earned runs. They have allowed 66 home runs this season, ranking them 24th in the league. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 176 batters and struck out 710. They have walked 2.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 10.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.06 and their FIP as a unit is 3.16.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Houston is hitting .262, good for 2nd in the league. The Astros hold a .432 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .333, which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 5th in MLB with 9.0 hits per game. George Springer is hitting .293 with an on-base percentage of .367. He has 79 hits this season in 270 at bats with 41 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .507 and an OPS+ of 147. Jose Altuve is hitting .336 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .385. He has totaled 94 hits and he has driven in 34 men in 280 at bats. His OPS+ is 141 while his slugging percentage is at .461. The Astros have 619 hits, including 130 doubles and 85 home runs. Houston has walked 237 times so far this season and they have struck out 562 times as a unit. They have left 462 men on base and have a team OPS of .766. They score 5.1 runs per contest and have scored a total of 352 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Kansas City has a 22-46 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.05, Jakob Junis has a 5-6 record and a 1.19 WHIP this season. He has 76 strikeouts over the 80 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 76 hits. He allows 8.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.53. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.63 and they have given up 242 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .273 against the Royals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 176 batters and walked 91 opposing hitters. As a team, Kansas City allows 9.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.3 batters per nine innings. They are 30th in the league in team earned run average at 5.27. The Royals pitchers as a team have surrendered 662 base knocks and 355 earned runs this season. They have given up 99 home runs this year, which ranks 1st in Major League Baseball. Kansas City as a staff has walked 217 hitters and struck out 491 batters. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.3 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.45 while their FIP as a staff is 4.79.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .245, good for 16th in the league. The Royals hold a .377 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .307, which is good for 24th in baseball. They rank 14th in MLB with 8.4 hits per contest. Whit Merrifield comes into this matchup batting .294 with an OBP of .369. He has 75 hits this year along with 22 RBI in 255 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .424 with an OPS+ of 119. Mike Moustakas is hitting .259 this season and he has an OBP of .313. He has collected 68 hits in 263 at bats while driving in 42 runs. He has an OPS+ of 113 and a slugging percentage of .475. The Royals as a unit have 572 base hits, including 116 doubles and 59 homers. Kansas City has walked 182 times this year and they have struck out on 479 occasions. They have had 465 men left on base and have an OPS of .684. They have scored 3.72 runs per game and totaled 253 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Royals +185

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