At Minute Maid Park on Sunday, the Houston Astros (four straight victories) meet the Kansas City Royals at 2:10 p.m. ET.

The Royals are an underdog (+139 moneyline odds) when they take on the Astros (-165). The matchup on the mound for this contest is set with the Houston Astros looking to Ronel Blanco (9-6), and Alec Marsh answering the bell for the Kansas City Royals.

These teams meet again after the Astros beat the Royals 5-2 yesterday. Yusei Kikuchi picked up the win for the Astros (7.0 IP, 1 R, 5 H, 12 K), and Jeremy Pena led the way offensively (2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI). Cole Ragans (5.0 IP, 5 R, 4 H, 10 K) was credited with the loss for the Royals.

Prepare for the Astros vs. Royals with everything you need to know ahead of Sunday’s baseball action, including viewing options.

Houston Astros vs. Kansas City Royals odds and betting lines

MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Sunday at 3:16 a.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.

  • Favorite: Astros (-165, bet $165 to win $100)
  • Underdog: Royals (+139, bet $100 to win $139)
  • Over/under: 8.5

Astros vs. Royals: Live streaming info & game time

  • Game Day: Sunday, September 1, 2024
  • Game Time: 2:10 p.m. ET
  • Stadium: Minute Maid Park
  • TV Channel: Bally Sports
  • Live Stream: Fubo (Watch for free)

Astros stats and trends

Astros betting records

  • This season, the Astros have won 56 out of the 98 games, or 57.1%, in which they’ve been favored.
  • Houston has a record of 22-9 in games when sportsbooks favor them by at least -165 on the moneyline.
  • The Astros have a 62.3% chance to win this game based on the implied probability of the moneyline.
  • Houston and its opponents have gone over the total this season in 53 of 136 opportunities.
  • In 135 games with a spread this season, the Astros are 67-68-0 ATS.

Ronel Blanco (Astros probable starter)

  • Blanco (9-6) is aiming for his 10th win when he gets the starting nod for the Astros in his 26th start of the season. He’s put together a 3.14 ERA in 143 1/3 innings pitched, with 141 strikeouts.
  • In his most recent appearance on Monday, the right-hander threw 5 2/3 innings against the Philadelphia Phillies, allowing two earned runs while surrendering seven hits.
  • The 31-year-old has amassed an ERA of 3.14, with 8.9 strikeouts per nine innings, in 25 games this season. Opponents are batting .191 against him.
  • Blanco enters the matchup with 12 quality starts under his belt this season.
  • Blanco is looking to record his 21st start of five or more innings this season in this matchup.
  • He has held his opponents without an earned run in five of his 25 outings this season.
  • The opposing Royals offense has a collective .256 batting average, and is sixth in the league with 1178 total hits and sixth in MLB play with 661 runs scored. It has the eighth-ranked slugging percentage (.421) and ranks 14th in home runs (155) in all of MLB.
  • The 31-year-old ranks 10th in ERA (3.14), 11th in WHIP (1.081), and 23rd in K/9 (8.9) among qualifying pitchers in MLB play this season.

Astros batting stats

  • The Astros’ 161 home runs rank 11th in Major League Baseball.
  • Hitters for Houston rank 10th in the majors with a combined .418 team slugging percentage.
  • The Astros’ .261 batting average is among the best in baseball, ranking second in MLB.
  • Houston ranks 12th in the majors with 621 total runs scored this season.
  • The Astros have an on-base percentage of .320 this season, which ranks 10th in the league.
  • Houston has shown patience at the plate this season with the fourth-best rate of strikeouts per game (7.3) among MLB offenses.

Royals stats and trends

Royals betting records

  • The Royals have been underdogs in 69 games this season and have come away with the win 31 times (44.9%) in those contests.
  • This season, Kansas City has been victorious three times in nine chances when named as an underdog of at least +139 or worse on the moneyline.
  • The moneyline set for this matchup implies the Royals have a 41.8% chance of coming away with a victory in the contest.
  • Kansas City and its opponents have hit the over in 63 of its 137 games with a total set by oddsmakers this season.
  • The Royals are 75-62-0 against the spread in their 137 games that had a posted line this season.

Alec Marsh (Royals probable starter)

  • Marsh will start for the Royals, his first of the season.
  • It’s the first appearance this season for the 26-year-old righty, and his first outing in more than a year.
  • The Astros rank 12th in runs scored in the league (621) this season and are batting .261 while hitting 161 home runs (11th in the league).

Royals batting stats

  • The Royals are 14th in baseball with 155 home runs. They average 1.1 per game.
  • So far this year, Kansas City is eighth in baseball with a .421 slugging percentage.
  • The Royals are sixth in the majors with a .256 batting average.
  • The offense for Kansas City is No. 6 in baseball, scoring 4.8 runs per game (661 total runs).
  • The Royals’ .312 on-base percentage ranks 14th in baseball.
Watch the MLB on Fubo!