Kansas City Royals vs Houston Astros Picks and Predictions April 25th 2025

Teams on Win Streaks Collide as Astros Visit Royals

Two of the hottest teams in the American League are set to clash Friday night when the Kansas City Royals host the Houston Astros. Both clubs are riding the momentum of recent three-game sweeps, setting the stage for a compelling weekend showdown at Kauffman Stadium.

Royals Building Momentum Behind Solid Play

Kansas City enters this series on a four-game winning streak, their longest of the young season. After sweeping the Colorado Rockies, including both ends of a doubleheader Thursday, the Royals are playing confident, complete baseball. Catcher Salvador Perez starred with five hits across the twin bill, and the bullpen contributed nine innings of one-run work.

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“You can only win one at a time, but when you stack three at a time, that’s the best you can do,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “I’m really happy for the guys. They played well (Thursday).”

Veteran right-hander Seth Lugo (1-3, 3.90 ERA) will aim to keep the momentum going. Lugo has struggled recently, losing his last three starts while surrendering five home runs over his past two outings. Still, Quatraro remains confident in his ability to generate soft contact and deliver quality innings.

“Any miss Lugo had was a small miss. His stuff looked good,” Quatraro said. “He gets a lot of weak contact, weak fly balls. We just know he’s going to continue to be solid for us.”

Lugo owns a 1-2 record with a 5.24 ERA in four career starts against Houston.

Astros Riding Pitching Surge

The Astros are also heating up, winning five of six games during their homestand, including a dominant three-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays. Houston outscored Toronto 15-2 over the series, relying heavily on excellent pitching and sturdy defense.

“It all starts with our pitching,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “We’re pitching really, really well right now. Our offense is starting to come around, but the pitching and defense did a really good job this series.”

Shortstop Jeremy Pena has been a spark for the Astros, extending his hitting streak to a career-best 14 games with five hits against Toronto. Pena’s 22 hits on the season are second only to Jose Altuve’s 29 on the team.

Hayden Wesneski (1-1, 3.91 ERA) will take the mound for Houston in the opener. Acquired in the offseason, Wesneski has been steady and will be making his first career appearance against the Royals.

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Series Outlook

Both teams are entering this matchup with strong pitching performances fueling their recent success. However, history leans slightly toward the Royals at home — Kansas City has taken five of the last six games against Houston at Kauffman Stadium, including a three-game sweep back in April 2024.

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For those analyzing MLB picks for this series, both the Royals’ recent offensive resurgence and the Astros’ lights-out pitching make for a tightly contested matchup. For expert analysis and up-to-date betting insights, check out the latest MLB picks.

With both teams riding high, something will have to give when these AL contenders square off in Kansas City.