The Kansas City Royals may have surprised some people when they decided to send Yordano Ventura to the mound in Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Houston Astros. The Royals acquired Johnny Cueto to fill the role of staff ace and Edinson Volquez has years of experience in the MLB, but the relatively new Ventura has been great as of late.
- SP Collin McHugh threw seven scoreless innings in his one career start against the Royals.
- The Royals finished the regular season second in hits in the MLB.
- The Astros went 4-2 against the Royals this season.
Ventura was demoted for only one day earlier this season in July, but was quickly recalled after Jason Vargas was placed on the DL, and has since been great. Since being put back into the rotation, Ventura is 9-1 with a 3.10 ERA across 13 starts.
The Royals looked shaky in September, posting their lone losing month of the season, but enter the postseason on a five-game winning streak.
The Astros were not expected to make the playoffs this season, but after a dominating performance against the New York Yankees in the Wild Card game there is no doubt that they belong.
Houston has relied heavily on the long ball this season, finishing second in baseball with 230 home runs in the regular season. That trend did not end in the ALWC when the Astros scored two of their three runs on solo jacks.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
The Houston Astros were listed as 132 underdogs on the MLB baseball moneyline at many online sportsbooks, including Sportsbook. The total was set at 7.5 before betting started earlier on Thursday over at Sportsbook.
Odds Shark computer score prediction models pick a possible 5.4-4.5 win for the Astros on Thursday. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming MLB matchups here.
Houston Astros vs Kansas City Royals Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Kansas City Royals bring a 95-67 record to the battle against the 87-76 Astros. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Kansas City vs Houston injuries news.
It's a MLB baseball betting matchup between the No. 19-rated Kansas City Royals and the league No. 7-ranked Houston Astros, according to the latest MLB power poll here at Odds Shark.
Statistical Matchup
Offensively, the game matches up Kansas City Royals No. 7 ranked offense (4.47 runs per game) against a Houston Astros defense and pitching staff that sits at No. 6 at 3.79 runs allowed per game. The Kansas City Royals have been averaging 9.24 hits per game, more than the Houston Astros have managed so far this season (8.39 hits on average).
Houston brings the No. 6-rated defense to this matchup, facing the Royals's No. 9-ranked defense.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
D Keuchel chucked 6 shutout innings at the Yankees in their last game, striking out 7 in a 3-0 win against New York in baseball action at Yankee Stadium.
Kansas City looks to continue its winning ways following a victory last time out against the Twins, a 6-1 final on Sunday in support of J Cueto at Target Field.
- Houston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
- Houston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
- Houston is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing Kansas City
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games when playing Kansas City
- Kansas City is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Kansas City's last 8 games
- Kansas City is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games at home
- Kansas City is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing Houston
Next Betting Matchups
Houston at Kansas City, Friday, October 9th
