The Houston Astros and Kansas City Royals open a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium on Friday night. The Astros are coming off a sweep of the Oakland Athletics in three games.
Brought the brooms.
🧹🧹🧹 pic.twitter.com/ZuVazzlS1Z
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 1, 2022
The Astros edged out the A’s for a 5-4 win on Wednesday in their most recent outing. Cole Irvin did what he could for the A’s, but his 5.2 innings with 1 run allowed wasn’t enough.
The Astros got to the Athletics for 4 runs in the top of the 9th. Dany Jimenez gave up 2 hits and 4 earned runs in less than an inning of work.
Jimenez was the weak link for the A’s last night. If he holds up then Oakland should win that one. The Astros took a 5-3 lead, with the A’s adding a run in the bottom of the 9th.
Kansas City sank to the bottom of the AL Central quickly, and this is where they’re going to stay in 2022. They are going into Kauffman with a record of 16-33 and 12 games behind the Minnesota Twins.
Isbel's base knock puts the #Royals on the board.
TV: Bally Sports Kansas City
Stream: https://t.co/dwoIUrk1gr pic.twitter.com/BHsHE6Xj82— Bally Sports Kansas City (@BallySportsKC) May 31, 2022
The pitching staff received little run support again in their latest loss. That’s not to say starter Brad Keller had a standout game. He lasted 6 innings with 4 earned runs against.
The offense did nothing in the 4-0 loss, though. Konnor Pilkington went 5 innings, with 5 hits and no runs allowed. Eli Morgan, Bryan Shaw, and Emmanuel Clase combined for no runs in 4 frames out of the bullpen.
A lack of run support is a recurring problem for the Royals this season. We’ll see if they look better against Jose Urquidy in this series opener at home tonight. Royals’ ace, Brady Singer, is expected to start this one.
Head below for our free Astros vs. Royals prediction on June 3, 2022.
Houston Astros vs. KC Royals Live Betting Odds:
| Teams | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Astros | -1.5 (+125) | -130 | Over 8.5 (-115) |
| KC Royals | +1.5 (-145) | +110 | Under 8.5 (-105) |
|
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Bovada
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| Team Data | Houston Astros | KC Royals |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Record | 33-18 | 16-33 |
| Away/Home Record | 19-12 | 8-15 |
| Batting Average | .230 | .237 |
| Batting Average Away/Home | .229 | .237 |
| Runs Per 9 | 4.14 | 3.74 |
| Team ERA | 2.84 | 5.09 |
| Team ERA Away/Home | 3.25 | 4.50 |
Astros vs. Royals Prediction:
The Astros are looking to get better out of Jose Urquidy tonight. He’s been a weak link to an otherwise reliable rotation. Urquidy can be good, but the Astros pride themselves on being a consistent pitching staff.
This isn’t what Urquidy has been about this season. He had plenty of promise in his first full-time campaign in the rotation in 2021.
Urquidy finished with an ERA of 3.62 and a 0.99 WHIP. There were high expectations for him this season.
He is going into Friday night with an ERA of 4.80 and a 1.58 WHIP. He’s been really good in spots, including two starts ago with 6 hits and 1 hit against the Texas Rangers.
However, Urquidy couldn’t keep that form in his latest start against the Seattle Mariners. He was tagged for 12 hits and 5 earned runs through 4.2 innings of work.
Note that in three of his previous five attempts, Urdquidy allowed 1 or no earned runs. Which pitcher are we going to see tonight?
While his numbers have been shabby on the road, the Royals are a team that likely gives Urquidy a good game to bounce back in.
His six attempts on the road have been against much better teams than the Royals. Expect him to be in better form tonight.
Houston Astros vs. Kansas City Royals Betting Trends:
Astros
- Record (Last 10): 7-3
- 4-0 overall in their previous four games on the road
- 4-1 overall in their previous five games after a win
- 8-3 in their previous 11 games at Kansas City
- 14-6 overall in their previous 20 games versus the Royals
- UNDER is 4-1-1 in their previous six games versus the Royals
Royals
- Record (Last 10): 2-8
- 1-5 overall in their previous six games on a Friday
- 1-10 overall in their previous 11 games as an underdog at home
- 0-4 overall in their previous four games at home
- 3-9 overall in their previous 12 games versus a right-handed starter
- 1-4 overall in their previous five first game of a series
I’m going to give Urquidy the benefit of the doubt and lean towards him looking much better in this one. Brady Singer is a tough challenge for the Astros, but the Royals will be in trouble if they can get to the bullpen early.
The Gator is in great shape going into this one, though on the heels of his worst start of the season. He conceded 6 hits and 3 earned runs in 5.2 innings.
I’m not concerned with Singer. I’m more concerned with him getting run support and the bullpen helping in the later stages of this contest.
The only team worse than the Royals’ bullpen is the Colorado Rockies. KC has a team ERA of 4.79 and 1.49 WHIP out of the bullpen.
Conversely, the ‘Stros have the best bullpen in the majors, with a 2.43 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. They should handle a Royals team scoring just 3.2 runs per 9 innings in their last five games.
Singer needs help from the offense, and he isn’t getting it here. Overall, the Royals are 26th in the majors, with 3.83 runs per 9 innings. They have notched just 0.7 home runs a game for 27th.
The Astros at this price looks like a good deal at Kauffman Stadium on Friday night.
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