Yusei Kikuchi will take the hill for the Houston Astros (73-62) on Saturday, August 31 against the Kansas City Royals (75-61), who will counter with Cole Ragans. The first pitch will be thrown at 7:10 p.m. ET at Minute Maid Park.

Bookmakers have listed the Astros (-185) as moneyline favorites against the Royals (+150). Bookmakers have set the total for this matchup at 7.5 runs.

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Astros vs. Royals Game Info

• Date: Saturday, August 31, 2024
• Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
• Location: Houston, Texas
• Venue: Minute Maid Park
• TV Channel: SCHN
• Live Stream: Watch this game on Fubo

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Matchup Betting Info

• Moneyline Favorite: Astros -185
• Moneyline Underdog: Royals +150
• Over/Under: 7.5 runs (Over: -115, Under: -105)

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Astros Probable Starting Pitcher

• Kikuchi (6-9) gets the starting nod for the Astros in his 28th start of the season. He has a 4.39 ERA in 143 2/3 innings pitched, with 165 strikeouts.
• In his last outing on Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles, the left-hander tossed 5 2/3 innings, allowing three earned runs while surrendering two hits.
• Kikuchi has eight quality starts under his belt this season.
• Kikuchi will try to prolong a six-game streak of lasting five or more innings (he’s averaging 5.3 frames per outing).
• He has held his opponents without an earned run in two of his 27 outings this season.

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Astros Hitting & Pitching Performance

• The Astros are 10th in baseball with 161 home runs. They average 1.2 per game.
• Houston is 10th in baseball, slugging .419.
• The Astros’ .261 batting average is second-best in the majors.
• Houston is the 13th-highest scoring team in MLB play, averaging 4.6 runs per game (616 total).
• The Astros are ninth in MLB with an on-base percentage of .321.
• Astros hitters strike out 7.3 times per game, the fourth-lowest average in baseball.
• Houston’s 3.73 team ERA ranks fifth among all MLB pitching staffs.
• The 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings compiled by Houston’s pitching staff ranks second in the majors.
• Pitchers for the Astros combine for the 11th-ranked WHIP in the majors (1.241).

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