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

The Astros, at -185, are favored in this contest, while the Royals are underdogs at +150. Bookmakers have set the over/under 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’s put together a 4.39 ERA in 143 2/3 innings pitched, with 165 strikeouts.
• His most recent time out came on Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles, when the lefty threw 5 2/3 innings, surrendering three earned runs while allowing two hits.
• Kikuchi has collected eight quality starts this season.
• Kikuchi will look to go five or more innings for his sixth straight start. He’s averaging 5.3 frames per outing.
• In two of his 27 total appearances this season he has not surrendered an earned run.

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Astros Hitting & Pitching Performance

• The Astros average 1.2 home runs per game to rank 10th in MLB action with 161 total home runs.
• Houston’s .419 slugging percentage ranks 10th-best in MLB.
• The Astros’ .261 batting average is second-best in MLB.
• Houston has the No. 13 offense in baseball, scoring 4.6 runs per game (616 total runs).
• The Astros’ .321 on-base percentage is ninth-best in baseball.
• The Astros strike out 7.3 times per game, the fourth-fewest average in the majors.
• Houston has the fifth-ranked team ERA among all MLB pitching staffs (3.73).
• The 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings put together by Houston’s pitching staff ranks second in MLB.
• Pitchers for the Astros combine for the 11th-ranked WHIP in the majors (1.241).

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