Astros vs. Royals: Picks, predictions, how to watch Saturday’s game

The Houston Astros and Kansas City Royals square off on Saturday with first pitch set for 4:10 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO, and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. Luis Garcia (3-3, 3.14 ERA) will get the start for the Astros while the Royals will put Kris Bubic (0-3, 12.83 ERA).

Houston (34-18) opened the series last night by hammering the Royals for a 10-3 victory. Beginning with an Aledmys Díaz two-run blast in the top of the second, the Astros’ batters tee’d off on Brady Singer and Ronald Bolanos to eventually take a 10-0 lead midway through the ballgame. The Astros now holds a 7.5-game lead on the plummeting Angels on top of the AL West standings.

Kansas City (16-34) currently owns the worst record in baseball and Friday’s setback marked its fifth straight loss. The team’s only highlight of the evening was a three-run shot by Bobby Witt in the bottom of the six to cut their deficit to seven. They could only muster up one hit for the rest of the game.

Astros vs. Royals

Pitchers: Luis Garcia vs. Kris Bubic
First pitch: 4:10 p.m. ET
Astros local broadcast: AT&T SportsNet Southwest
Royals local broadcast: Bally Sports Kansas City
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)

Odds, picks & predictions

Run spread: Astros -1.5
Run total: 9.5
Moneyline odds: Astros -195, Royals +165

Moneyline pick: Astros -195

Don’t get cute here, this is an easy choice. The Royals are pitching Kris Bubic, who just got recalled from Triple-A Omaha. The lefty has struggled in his previous starts this year and that once again presents an opportunity for the ‘Stros to get active at Kauffman Stadium.

Player prop pick: Luis Garcia to record a win (+135)

Garcia should get enough run support early on to pick up the easy victory this afternoon. At +135, there’s value here that you can’t pass up.

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