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

The Kansas City Royals and Houston Astros square off on Monday with first pitch set for 4:10 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas and will be available to watch on ESPN+. Jonathan Heasley (1-4, 5.20 ERA) will start for the Royals with Jake Odorizzi (3-2, 3.13 ERA) will begin on the mound for the Astros.

Kansas City (29-48) won three of its last four games heading into Monday afternoon’s matchup with the Astros. Heasley will make start No. 10 of the season and struggled in his last start when he allowed 7 runs on 9 hits over 3.2 innings in a loss to the Texas Rangers. The Royals score the fourth-fewest runs per game (3.8), and Edward Olivares and Emmanuel Rivera both homered in yesterday’s 7-4 win over the Detroit Tigers.

Houston (51-27) will bring a six-game winning streak into this series, coming off a sweep of the Los Angeles Angels over the weekend. Odorizzi will make his first start since May 16 as he makes a return from the injured list due to a left leg tendon strain. The Astros rank fifth in OPS (.745), and Kyle Tucker leads the team with 53 RBIs.

Royals vs. Astros

Pitchers: Jonathan Heasley vs. Jake Odorizzi
First pitch: 4:10 p.m. ET
Royals local broadcast: Bally Sports Kansas City
Astros local broadcast: AT&T SportsNet-Southwest
Live stream: WatchESPN, ESPN app with an ESPN+ subscription

Odds, picks & predictions

Run Line: Astros -1.5 (-115)
Run total: 9
Moneyline odds: Astros -230, Royals +195

Moneyline pick: Royals +195

You will not receive much of a return betting on the Astros, and there is enough value on the Royals to make them worth the risk. This is especially the case considering Odorizzi has not pitched in an MLB game for more than 1.5 months. Heasley has kept the Royals in games in each start aside from his last outing, and Kansas City should be in a decent position to pull off an upset in this spot.

Player prop pick: Jake Odorizzi Under 3.5 strikeouts (+110)

With the amount of time he’s been out, Odorizzi could be in for a shorter than start in his first game returning. He also will get a matchup with a Royals lineup that strikes out 7.6 times per game, which is the fifth-fewest in the MLB. Odorizzi’s strikeouts have been down through a seven-start sample size in 2022 with a 6.0 K/9.

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