Astros vs. Royals Prediction, Betting Tips & Picks 6/5/2022

The Houston Astros (34-19) and the Kansas City Royals (17-34) meet in the rubber match of a three-game series on Sunday at 2:10 PM ET. The Astros are -223 favorites on the moneyline to win the series over the Royals (+184). Houston’s Framber Valdez and Kansas City’s Jonathan Heasley have been named the starters for this contest.

Astros vs. Royals Spread and Betting Line

Computer Predictions for Astros vs. Royals

Our computer pick: Kansas City Royals (+184) and Over (9)

Astros vs. Royals Game Info

• Houston Astros probable starting pitcher: Framber Valdez
• Kansas City Royals probable starting pitcher: Jonathan Heasley
• Game Day: Sunday, June 5, 2022
• Game Time: 2:10 PM ET
• Location: Kansas City, Missouri
• Stadium: Kauffman Stadium

Houston Astros vs Kansas City Royals Pitching Matchup

Astros Starter Framber Valdez

• Valdez makes the start for the Astros, his 11th of the season. He is 5-2 with a 2.57 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 63 innings pitched.
• His most recent appearance came on Monday against the Oakland Athletics, when the left-hander threw nine innings, surrendering one earned run while allowing two hits.
• The 28-year-old has an ERA of 2.57, with 7.1 strikeouts per nine innings, in 10 games this season. Opponents are batting .214 against him.
• Valdez is aiming for his eighth straight quality start.
• Valdez will aim to last five or more innings for his eighth straight start. He’s averaging 6.1 innings per outing.
• He will face a Royals offense that ranks 26th in the league with 191 runs while batting .237 as a unit. It has a collective .361 slugging percentage (25th in MLB play) and has hit a total of 37 home runs (28th in MLB).
• Among qualifying pitchers in MLB action this season, the 28-year-old’s 2.57 ERA ranks 15th, 1.127 WHIP ranks 31st, and 7.1 K/9 ranks 47th.

Royals Starter Jonathan Heasley

• The Royals’ Jon Heasley (0-2) will make his fifth start of the season.
• The right-hander gave up three earned runs and allowed six hits in six innings pitched against the Cleveland Guardians on Monday.
• The 25-year-old has an ERA of 4.66 and 4.7 strikeouts per nine innings with an opponent batting average of .250 in four games this season.
• He has earned a quality start one time in four starts this season.
• Heasley will look to pitch five or more innings for the fourth start in a row.
• The Astros have scored 216 runs this season, which ranks 22nd in MLB. They have 404 hits, 22nd in baseball, with 67 home runs (fourth in the league).

Astros Betting Picks & Insights

• The Astros have entered the game as favorites 43 times this season and won 30, or 69.8%, of those games.
• Houston is undefeated in five games this season when favored by -223 or more on the moneyline.
• The Astros have a 69% chance to win this game based on the implied probability of the moneyline.
• Games involving Houston have gone over the total set by bookmakers in 14 of 53 chances this season.
• The Astros are 26-27-0 ATS in their 53 games with a spread this season.

Royals Betting Picks & Insights

• The Royals have been underdogs in 48 games this season and have come away with the win 16 times (33.3%) in those contests.
• Kansas City has played as an underdog of +184 or more just one time this year and came away with a loss in that game.
• The Royals have an implied victory probability of 35.2% according to the moneyline set for this matchup.
• Contests with Kansas City have gone over the total set by oddsmakers in 27 of 55 chances this season.
• The Royals are 22-33-0 against the spread in their 55 games with a line set by sportsbooks this season.

Astros Leaders & Batting Stats

• Yordan Alvarez’s 15 home runs and 33 RBI both lead the Astros, in addition to his team-high .284 average.
• Alvarez is third in home runs and 17th in RBI among all hitters in MLB.
• Alvarez has collected a hit in six straight games. In his last 10 outings he is batting .405 with a double, three home runs, four walks and nine RBI.
• Alex Bregman has 11 doubles, six home runs and 30 walks while hitting .222.
• Bregman ranks 65th in home runs and 38th in RBI on the season.
• Kyle Tucker has seven doubles, eight home runs and 25 walks while hitting .240.
• Tucker will look to build on his four-game hitting in this game. During his last five outings he is hitting .235 with a double and three walks.
• Jose Altuve has six doubles, 10 home runs and 16 walks while hitting .265.

Royals Leaders & Batting Stats

• Andrew Benintendi paces the Royals with a team-leading batting average of .328.
• Among all hitters in the big leagues, Benintendi is 235th in home runs and 112th in RBI.
• Whit Merrifield is batting .219 with 11 doubles, three home runs and 12 walks.
• Merrifield is 184th in homers and 75th in RBI among all MLB hitters this year.
• Bobby Witt Jr. has been a significant run producer for the Royals with seven home runs and 28 runs batted in.
• Hunter Dozier has 11 doubles, two triples, five home runs and 15 walks while hitting .273.

Betting Tips for Astros vs. Royals

Our best bet is the Royals on the moneyline at +184 after analyzing all of the key stats and trends for this matchup. Our computer predicts the total score will over the total of 9 runs.