Royals Face Astros for Three-Game Series Starting Tonight

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals begin a three-game series against the Houston Astros tonight at 7:10 PM CT at Daikin Park.

This marks the second and final series between the two clubs this season. In their previous matchup in late April, the Royals bested the Astros two games to one. Houston’s lone win in that series came with a 7-3 victory after losing the first two games 2-0.

In the last meeting, starting pitcher Hunter Brown (4-1, 1.22) earned the win for Houston by allowing only one run over six innings, striking out five and surrendering seven hits. Chas McCormick had a standout game with three hits, including a double, and both Yordan Alvarez and Yainer Diaz contributed home runs to secure the win.

“It starts with Hunter Brown. We needed a win and had the right guy on the bump,” said Astros manager Joe Espada.

The Astros enter the series with a 20-19 record and have recently won three of their last four games, including a series finale win over the Cincinnati Reds where they shut them out 6-0. In that game, Ronel Blanco (3-3, 4.04) struck out 11 batters across eight innings.

On the other hand, the Royals have a 24-18 record but have lost their last two games. They defeated the Boston Red Sox 3-1 in their previous outing, despite only managing four hits. Starting pitcher Seth Lugo was given the loss after allowing three runs in six innings.

Tonight’s matchup will feature Royals’ veteran Michael Wacha (2-4, 2.98) against Astros’ Ryan Gusto (3-1, 2.93). Wacha is looking to stabilize the Royals after their recent slump.

“The Royals have done a great job of getting on base, leading the team with a solid batting average,” said a team analyst. Jeremy Peña leads the Astros offensively with five home runs, yet they have struggled with power this season.

As the teams prepare for the opener, predictions lean towards a closely contested game, with odds favoring the Royals slightly.