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Today · 8:10 PM ETLineup pendingAL Central / AL West

Kansas City Royals   vs   Houston Astros Preview

September 16, 2026

Starting pitchers, lineup status, recent form and weather at Daikin Park.

8:10 PM ET · Daikin ParkStats availableLineups not confirmed
T-Score39
Kansas City Royals
66–84 · 5th AL Central · T-Score 39
–
–––
First pitch 8:10 PM ET
Houston Astros
75–75 · 1st AL West · T-Score 49
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T-Score49
First pitch 8:10 PM ET

Matchup at a glance

PitcherStat calculation
CategoryComparisonWhy
Starting pitcherRoyalsKansas has the stronger starting-pitcher profile: Lynch leads in P-Score, WHIP and FIP.
Offense vs handEvenBoth offenses perform near the same level against the opposing starter's handedness.
Team strengthAstrosHouston leads 49–39 in T-Score.
WeatherLow impact81°F, wind 5 mph, no precipitation expected at first pitch.

Starting pitchers

KC
Daniel Lynch IV LHP
Daniel Lynch IV
Kansas City Royals
2026 season (MLB rank among qualified starters)
ERA
3.52
49th
WHIP
1.10
32nd
K/9
6.15
195th
BB/9
2.76
66th
P-Score43i
FIP
3.86
HR/9
0.75
25th
OPS/R
0.730
IP
71.2
2026 ERA splits
Home ERA3.22
Road ERA4.00
Last 5 starts
HOU
Cristian Javier RHP
Cristian Javier
Houston Astros
2026 season (MLB rank among qualified starters)
ERA
5.50
179th
WHIP
1.46
172nd
K/9
8.89
71st
BB/9
3.72
149th
P-Score37i
FIP
4.89
HR/9
1.46
159th
OPS/R
0.874
IP
55.2
2026 ERA splits
Home ERA5.40
Road ERA5.59
Last 5 starts
How the starters differ
·Javier strikes out 2.7 more batters per nine innings.
·Lynch allows fewer baserunners, with a 1.10 WHIP compared with 1.46.
·Lynch enters with a 3.52 ERA compared with Javier's 5.50.
·Lynch allows the lower home-run rate: 0.75 vs 1.46 per nine.
Advanced starter metricsERA−, FIP, WAR, career vs opponent
MetricIVJavierNote
ERA−83145Park- and league-adjusted; 100 is average.
FIP3.864.89
WAR0.80.1Season value.

How the lineups match the starters' pitch mix

Pitch data coverage: partial. Usage and velocity only.

IV arsenal
PitchUsageVelo
Sinker32%94.1
Changeup24%85.6
Slider20%87.3
Four-seam15%94.6
Knuckle Curve9%81.7
Javier arsenal
PitchUsageVelo
Four-seam47%93.2
Sweeper26%81.3
Changeup16%85.6
Cutter7%89.1
Knuckle Curve2%77.6
Sinker1%93.1
Slider1%84.7

Team OPS vs opposing starter's hand

Royals vs RHP (Cristian Javier)
13th
in MLB
0.725OPS
.600.700.800.9001.000
Astros vs LHP (Daniel Lynch IV)
12th
in MLB
0.712OPS
.600.700.800.9001.000

Lineups

Lineup pendingOrder from the stored snapshot; treat as unofficial until the card is filed.Full lineup page
Lineups not announced

Neither club has posted a batting order. Handedness composition, H-Score leaders and batter-vs-pitcher samples appear here as soon as the first order is filed — typically two to three hours before first pitch.

Team comparison

ResultsKCKC·HOUHOU
+11627th
Run differential
+21017th
66–84 Record75–75
Last 10 games
Kansas City Royals (0–0)
Houston Astros (0–0)
2026 head-to-head
Season Series
0—0
0 Games Played

Frequently asked

Who is starting for the Royals?+
Daniel Lynch IV is listed as the starter.
Who is starting for the Astros?+
Cristian Javier is listed as the starter.
What time does the game start?+
8:10 PM ET at Daikin Park.
Where is the game being played?+
Daikin Park, home of the Houston Astros.
Are the lineups confirmed?+
Not yet. Orders appear here when they are posted.
How do the starters compare on P-Score?+
Daniel Lynch IV is at 43; Cristian Javier is at 37. P-Score is PitcherStat's 0–100 season index for qualified starters.