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The Kansas City Royals (75-61) and Houston Astros (73-62) meet for Game 3 of a 4-game series Saturday. First pitch from Minute Maid Park is set for 7:10 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Royals vs. Astros odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Kansas City leads 3-2
Houston escaped with a 3-2 win over Kansas City Friday while covering as a -178 home favorite. 2B Jose Altuve hit the game-winning RBI double in the bottom of the 9th for the Astros after the Royals gave them a scare by scoring 2 to tie the game in the top of the 9th.
Kansas City has now lost each of its last 3 contests while Houston has won 3 straight. The Royals have lost 2 of their last 3 by 2 or fewer runs, losing by 3 or fewer runs in each of their last 3 losses.
Royals at Astros projected starters
LHP Cole Ragans vs. LHP Yusei Kikuchi
Ragans (10-8, 3.28 ERA) makes his 28th start. He has a 1.16 WHIP, 3.1 BB/9 and 10.8 K/9 through 156 1/3 innings.
- Last start: No-decision, 4 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 4 K in a 4-3 win at Cleveland Monday
- Career vs. Houston: 1-2, 5.40 ERA (28 1/3 IP, 17 ER), 30 H, 13 BB, 24 K across 5 starts and 1 relief appearance
Kikuchi (6-9, 4.39 ERA) makes his 28th start. He has a 1.27 WHIP, 2.5 BB/9 and 10.3 K/9 through 143 2/3 innings.
- Last start: No-decision, 5 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 4 K in a 6-3 win at Baltimore Sunday
- Career vs. Kansas City: 2-2, 5.80 ERA (35 2/3 IP, 23 ER), 1.37 WHIP, 7.6 K/9 in 8 starts
Who’s going yard? Here’s a breakdown of today’s best home run props with our top picks. Include the BetMGM bonus code SBWIRE to score a $1,500 first-bet offer.
Royals at Astros odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:20 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Royals +115 (bet $100 to win $115) | Astros -135 (bet $135 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Royals +1.5 (-200) | Astros -1.5 (+165)
- Over/Under (O/U): 7.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Royals at Astros picks and predictions
Prediction
Royals 6, Astros 3
Moneyline
LEAN ROYALS (+115).
Kansas City won each of its first 3 road games before its current skid, and this is simply too good of a team for me to expect this losing streak to continue.
The Royals are also 7-3 in their last 10 overall vs. Houston, being 3-0 in its last 3 meetings with the Astros in Houston before this current series.
This is a lean because Houston is the hotter team entering this matchup.
Run line/Against the spread
PASS.
I expect the Royals to cover here as +1.5 (-200) underdogs, but with the line set this favorably the risk of betting outweighs the reward. Bet on the moneyline and/or O/U instead.
Over/Under
LEAN OVER 7.5 (-110).
The Over has hit in 2 of Kansas City’s last 3 overall and is 6-4 in its last 10 games. The Over has also hit in 3 of the last 4 KC-Houston matchups overall, being 7-3 in the last 10 overall and 3-2 in the last 5 meetings between these squads in Houston.
This is a lean because the Under is 6-3-1 in Houston’s last 10 games.
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