The visiting Astros hope for a solid performance on Saturday as they look to steal a win at Kauffman Stadium against the Kansas City Royals.

Erik Bedard gets the ball in front of a hostile crowd for the Astros on this day; he's 1-2 on the season. The Royals, meanwhile, will counter with Ervin Santana, who will be looking to improve on his 3-5 mark.



View Houston vs Kansas City Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The Astros were listed as +-177 underdogs on the baseball moneyline at many online sportsbooks, including Sportsbook. The total was set at 8 before betting started earlier on Monday over at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings:
This game puts the Royals, most recently No. 5 in the American League Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings, up against the Astros, who rate an American League No. 14 in the latest survey.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Kansas City's No. 13 ranked American League offense (3.9 runs per game) against a Astros defense and pitching staff that sits at No. 15 in the American League at 5.4 runs allowed per game. The Royals have been averaging 8.8 hits per game, more than the Astros have managed so far this season (8.3 hits on average).

Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and Kansas City has the American League's No. 4-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Astros own the American League's No. 15 mark in runs allowed.

Last time out for Houston, they were a 4-2 loser as they battled the Royals on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Royals at -235 were rewarded, while the 6 combined runs moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. Houston suffered a 4-2 loss against Kansas City on Friday, as Jordan Lyles wasn't able to lead his team to victory at Kauffman Stadium.




Houston Astros Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 5-5
Before playing Kansas City are 3-7
After playing Kansas City are 3-7
After a loss are 7-3

Kansas City Royals Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 4-6
Before playing Houston are 6-4
After playing Houston are 4-6
After a win are 3-7

A few Astros at Royals trends to consider:
Houston is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games when playing on the road against Kansas City
Houston is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Kansas City's last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Kansas City's last 5 games when playing at home against Houston
Kansas City is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Kansas City's last 5 games at home


Next up:
Houston at Kansas City, Sunday, June 9