Houston Astros vs Kansas City Royals Prediction & Picks - MLB

Prediction published on 5/14/25, 4:48 PM  by Carlos Zabala | Modified on 5/14/25 at 10:45 PM in MLB Picks

Framber Valdez had a sublime outing against the Royals in Game 2. This is excellent news for the Astros, as Valdez has already had two strong outings in his last two, and Houston's record is 21-20. However, Valdez didn't take the W in what was an absolute pitching duel. The game was decided by a walk-off homer by Isaac Paredes to break the 1-1 tie. It was one ofhree walk-offs on Tuesday in MLB that occurred within a span of less than four minutes.

The man who ended up earning the W was Bryan Abreu, who pitched and hit a scoreless out in the top of the ninth. Although he was the only one coming out of the bullpen on Tuesday, the Astros' bullpen has been climbing in efficiency, becoming the second-best ERA in MLB at 2.78, trailing only the Giants.

However, the Royals are close to having the fifth-best bullpen in the MLB, and their starting staff is one of the most solid in the MLB. Until recently, the Royals averaged just over 3 runs per game, and the starting pitching of Ragans, Bubic, and Lugo kept them afloat. The Royals are one of the hottest teams in the MLB with a 25-19 record this season.