ASTROS VS. ROYALS
Astros seek statement win behind Framber Valdez in Tuesday tilt
May 13, 2025, 9:30 am
Two of the league's top lefties square off. Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images.
The Houston Astros will look to even their season series against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night as they return to Daikin Park for what promises to be a tightly contested matchup. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET, with two left-handers taking the mound—Framber Valdez for Houston and Kris Bubic for Kansas City.
The Royals come into the game riding a three-game road winning streak and holding a 3-1 edge in the season series. Winners of eight of their last ten games, Kansas City has been one of the hottest teams in baseball lately, thanks in large part to their league-best 3.01 ERA. Bubic has been a key part of that success, boasting a 4-2 record and an impressive 1.69 ERA over 47 strikeouts this season.
Meanwhile, the Astros are trying to find some consistency. At 20-20 overall, Houston has been streaky to start the year, but they’ve been strong at home with a 13-9 record. When they out-hit their opponents, they’re a formidable 16-8, and they’ll be hoping the bats show up again Tuesday.
Framber Valdez will get the ball for the Astros. While his 2-4 record doesn’t reflect it, he’s been steady with a 3.94 ERA and 44 strikeouts. He’ll face a Kansas City lineup that’s been clicking—especially Maikel Garcia, who’s hitting .295 with 10 doubles and 17 RBIs on the year, and Vinnie Pasquantino, who’s batting .349 over his last ten games.
Houston’s lineup has some heat of its own. Jeremy Peña leads the team with five home runs, and Yainer Díaz has been scorching over the past ten games, going 16-for-43 with two homers and nine RBIs.
The Royals have outscored opponents by 16 runs over their last ten games, while the Astros have managed a +6 differential in that span despite going 4-6. With two talented pitchers on the mound and both offenses showing signs of life, Tuesday’s game could come down to which team capitalizes on the small moments.
The Astros are slight favorites according to BetMGM (-141), but with the way Kansas City has been playing, this one feels like it could go either way.
*ChatGPT assisted.
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Houston Astros shake things up trying to halt the spiral
Jul 29, 2025, 4:13 pm
Houston ace Framber Valdez expressed frustration about the defensive positioning on a play in the sixth inning Monday night that led to the only run he allowed in the Astros’ 2-1 loss to the Washington Nationals.
There were two outs in the sixth when Valdez walked Josh Bell. Nathaniel Lowe’s groundball double to the right field corner scored Bell and tied the game at 1.
Valdez wasn’t happy that right fielder Taylor Trammell was shifted halfway to center field instead of in right field on the play.
“I saw the right fielder playing center field and, you know, we have a center fielder for that,” Valdez told reporters in Spanish through a translator. “I feel like the right fielder should have been playing right field. I was uncomfortable with that.”
Valdez was asked if he addressed the positioning with the coaching staff.
“I don’t have to ask the coaches about that,” he said. “I feel like baseball is a game of common sense. With me as a lefty pitcher, they don’t hit a lot of fly balls against me.”
Valdez allowed three hits and a run while tying a season high with 12 strikeouts in six innings to become the 10th pitcher in franchise history to reach 1,000 career strikeouts (1,007).
You can see where the right fielder was positioned in the video below.
hi lowe pic.twitter.com/6hKlolMnTU
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 29, 2025
Riley Adams hit a solo homer in the seventh inning to give Washington the win and extend Houston’s skid to a season-high five games.