Royals vs Astros Prediction - MLB Picks 9/22/23

Houston Astros (85-68) vs Kansas City Royals (51-102)

Game Info: Friday, September 22, 2023 at 8:10 pm (Minute Maid Park)

Framber Valdez (12-10) (3.20) vs Cole Ragans (6-4) (3.44)

Betting Odds: Houston Astros -210 / Kansas City Royals +190 --- Over/Under: 8 Click Here for the Latest Odds

The Kansas City Royals and Houston Astros clash Friday in game 1 of an MLB series at Minute Maid Park. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.

Kansas City Royals Betting Preview

The Royals look for a win after winning 7 of their last 8 games. The Royals have the second-worst record in the AL at 51-102. The Royals pitching staff is 28th in ERA (5.19), 24th in WHIP (1.41) and 29th in quality starts (31). The Royals' offense is 26th in runs per game (4.15), 20th in batting average (.244) and 26th in homers (152). Bobby Witt Jr. leads the Royals with 169 hits and 91 RBI, while Salvador Perez and Maikel Garcia have combined for 249 hits and 121 RBI. Cole Ragans gets the ball, and he is 6-4 with a 3.33 ERA and 100 strikeouts this season. Ragans is 0-2 with a 6.23 ERA and 14 strikeouts in his career against the Astros.

Kansas City Royals Team Facts

The Royals have lost each of their last eight road games against teams that held a winning record.
The Royals have covered the run line in each of their last six night games against American League opponents.
The Royals have led after 3 innings in each of their last six night games against American League opponents.
The 'Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs' market has hit in each of the Royals' last three night games at Minute Maid Park.
The Royals have won the first inning in three of their last four games as underdogs against the Astros at Minute Maid Park.

Houston Astros Betting Preview

The Astros need a win after losing 6 of their last 9 games. The Astros still lead the AL West. The Astros pitching staff is 9th in ERA (4.01), 16th in WHIP (1.29) and 6th in quality starts (67). The Astros offense is 5th in runs per game (5.16), 4th in batting average (.259) and 7th in homers (211). Alex Bregman leads the Astros with 156 hits and 96 RBI, while Kyle Tucker and Jeremy Pena have combined for 296 hits and 159 RBI. Framber Valdez gets the ball, and he is 12-10 with a 3.20 ERA and 183 strikeouts this season. Valdez is 2-1 with a 3.80 ERA and 16 strikeouts in his career against the Royals.

Houston Astros Team Facts

The Astros have lost eight of their last nine games as home favorites against American League opponents.
The Astros have failed to cover the run line in eight of their last nine games as home favorites against American League opponents.
The Astros have trailed after 5 innings in four of their last five games as favorites against American League opponents.
The Astros have trailed after 7 innings in seven of their last nine games as home favorites against American League opponents.
The 'Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs' market has hit in each of the Astros' last seven games as home favorites against AL Central opponents.

Matchup/League Facts

The Houston Astros rank 3rd in the league for strikeouts against this season (1170).
The Houston Astros rank 4th in the league for hits this season (1363).
The Kansas City Royals rank 2nd in the league for triples this season (40).
The Kansas City Royals rank 29th in the league for walks this season (388).

Randy’s Pick

The Royals are putting together a strong week and that makes them worth a look in the underdog role, but the Astros are fighting for a division title, and they simply can't afford to keep letting these games slip away. There's just no excuses for the Astros in a spot like this at home. Framber Valdez has a 2.98 ERA at home, and he's allowed 4 earned runs in his last 21 innings overall. No excuses for the Astros. Give me the home team and the RL for max betting value.