Inter-league play resumes on Monday as the Astros take on the Royals at Minute Maid Park in a key battle on the odds menu.

Houston hands the ball to starter JA Happ in this one and he'll try to improve on his 4-7 mark on the year. Kansas City counters with Jonathan Sanchez, who will try to quiet the fans and the Astros bats at the same time.



View Kansas City vs Houston Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Sportsbooks had installed the Astros as -110 moneyline favorites in this particular MLB matchup. The total, meanwhile, was set early at 8.5 before betting started to move the line.

Power Rankings:
The Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings have the Astros at No. 12 in the National League and the Royals at No. 9 in the American League heading into this contest.



How They Match Up:
Scoring stats point to some edges in this matchup. The game features Houston's National League No. 9-ranked scoring average of 4.2 runs per game, against a Royals offense rated No. 13 and scoring 3.9 runs per game in the league. The Astros have averaged 8.5 hits per game to date this season, less than the Royals hitters have managed (9 per nine innings).

Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and Houston has the National League's No. 15-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Royals own the American League's No. 10 mark in runs allowed.

Kansas City was a 5-3 Sportsbook in its last match on the road against the Cardinals. They won as +172 underdogs, while the total score of 8 made Sportsbooks of UNDER bettors. Kansas City won a close affair on Sunday in their last outing, defeating St. Louis 5-3 in extra innings at Busch Stadium.

In their last action, Houston was a 9-3 loser on the road against the Rangers. Bettors on Texas at -245 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (12) sent OVER bettors home happy as well. Houston didn't get the job done in their last match, falling 9-3 to Texas on Sunday at Rangers Ballpark.


Kansas City Royals Trends:
When playing on Monday are 1-9
Before playing Houston are 5-5
After playing St. Louis are 3-7
After a win are 5-5

Houston Astros Trends:
When playing on Monday are 2-8
Before playing Kansas City are 5-5
After playing Texas are 4-6
After a loss are 4-6

A few Royals at Astros trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Kansas City's last 7 games
Kansas City is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Kansas City is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Kansas City's last 10 games when playing Houston
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Houston's last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Houston's last 10 games when playing Kansas City
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston's last 6 games when playing at home against Kansas City
Houston is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home


Next up:
Kansas City at Houston, Tuesday, June 19