Houston Astros vs Kansas City Royals Picks and Predictions May 13th 2025

Astros Turn to Valdez to Tame Red-Hot Royals in Game 2

The Houston Astros will look to even their series against the surging Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night behind veteran left-hander Framber Valdez. After dropping Monday’s opener 7-5, the Astros aim to cool down a Royals squad that has caught fire since late April — thanks in large part to strong starting pitching and timely hitting.

Royals Rolling, Offense Finally Matching Pitching

Kansas City has now won 17 of its last 21 games following a sluggish six-game losing streak, and they’re doing it with dominant starts on the mound. Michael Wacha’s Monday outing — backed by a rare seven-run cushion — extended the Royals’ run of stellar starting pitching.

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“We need to consistently swing the bats like that to get some guys some (run) support because the pitchers have done an outstanding job.”
— Matt Quatraro, Royals Manager

The offense is showing signs of life, with the lineup providing early damage that carried Wacha through six-plus shutout innings before Houston began to rally late.

Lefty Kris Bubic (4-2, 1.69 ERA) gets the nod Tuesday and brings one of the league’s hottest arms to the mound. He leads the majors in starts (five) where he’s allowed zero earned runs in at least five innings, and is coming off a seven-inning shutout gem against the White Sox.

While Bubic has been dominant this season, he’s struggled in his career against Houston, holding an 0-2 record and a 3.86 ERA in four outings. He’ll look to flip that narrative on Tuesday.

Astros Counting on Valdez to Steady the Ship

Houston’s Framber Valdez (2-4, 3.94 ERA) is trending upward after a slow start to the season. The lefty turned in a gem in his last outing, limiting the Brewers to one run over seven innings in a 9-1 win.

Valdez has posted a 3.12 ERA and held opponents to a .220 batting average over his past four starts.

Valdez has had mixed results against Kansas City in the past, going 2-3 with a 3.68 ERA in eight career appearances. In their previous meeting on April 26, he allowed just two runs in eight innings but was saddled with a loss due to a lack of run support.

Houston Showing Late-Inning Fight

Despite falling into early holes in two of their last three games, the Astros have shown signs of offensive life. They trimmed a 10-run deficit to four against the Reds and cut into Kansas City’s lead again on Monday, nearly forcing a ninth-inning comeback.

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“These two games have woken up our offense a little bit more because there’s more urgency… The quality of at-bats has been tremendous.”
— Joe Espada, Astros Manager

That renewed fight could be key against a Royals team that often gets out to early leads behind strong pitching.

Can Valdez Stop the Surge?

With both starters dealing and offenses starting to trend upward, Tuesday’s contest is shaping up to be a tight battle — and a potential value spot for sharp bettors tracking MLB predictions and betting trends.

Kansas City is the hotter team, but Valdez’s experience and recent form could give Houston the edge they need to even the series.