Getting the start for the Astros (83-65, 45-28 away) will be J.P. France against Cole Ragans for the Royals (47-101, 27-46 home). Today marks game two of their series, with the Royals currently holding the 1-0 lead. Read on to see my best bet for this Houston Astros vs. Kansas City Royals matchup.

HOUSTON ASTROS VS KANSAS CITY ROYALS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Kansas City Royals +126

This game will be played at Kauffman Stadium at 7:10 ET on Saturday, September 16th.

WHY BET THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS:

  • In their five most recent games as the favorite, the Astros have gone just 2-3 straight-up.
  • The Royals are currently up 1-0 in their series vs. the Astros.
  • Cole Ragans has done a good job at avoiding the long-ball of late, having not given up a home-run in each of his past three starts.

HOUSTON ASTROS LOOK TO CONTINUE WINNING WAYS ON THE ROAD

On an overall record of 83-65, the Astros are 1st in the AL West. On the road, Houston has put together a record of 45-28 while going 38-37 at home. Against teams with below .500 records, the club has gone 43-43. Overall, the Astros have played in 47 series, going 26-17-4.

The Astros will turn to J.P. France, who has an impressive 11-5 record this season. In 22 appearances, the starter has maintained a 3.61 ERA with a K/9 of 6.8, while his FIP is 4.73 and OBP is .310.

J.P. France earned a victory in his most recent start, allowing one earned run and four hits over six innings against the Padres. The Astros went on to win 12-2, with France receiving the win.

Having gone deep 5 times in their last five games, the Astros are 7th in that span. At 5.1 runs per game, Houston is 5th in the league. This figure has come on a team batting average of .259 while hitting a total of 202 home runs (8th).

The Astros’ Alex Bregman leads the team in hits, boasting a .267 batting average. His slugging percentage is .446 and on-base percentage is .363 heading into this game.

WILL THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

The Royals enter today’s game with an overall record of 47-101 which includes going 19-58 against teams with above .500 records. As of today, they are 5th in the AL Central. Across their 48 series, Kansas City is 8-36-4 and have records of 20-55 and 27-46 on the road and at home, respectively.

The Royals will turn to Cole Ragans, who has a 6-4 record across 26 appearances this season. His ERA stands at 3.01, while his K/9 rate is 10.78 and FIP is 2.97. Additionally, Ragans has an OBP of .276.

Cole Ragans pitched 5 2/3 innings in his last game, but the Royals ultimately fell to the Blue Jays, 5-2. Despite the loss, Ragans earned a no-decision after giving up two runs on one hit.

Across their last ten games, the Royals’ offense is 10th in batting average, leading to an average of 5.4 runs per contest in that span. Overall, they are the 25th ranked scoring offense and posted a season-long OPS of .697 on 148 (22nd).

Bobby Witt Jr. has been a major contributor to the Royals’ offensive success in 2023, leading the team with 29 home runs and 89 RBIs. His slugging percentage of .500 is indicative of his power at the plate.