Three things we learned from the Royals' frustrating series vs. the Astros

Jaylon Thompson, The Kansas City Star on May 14, 2025

Published in Baseball

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HOUSTON — The Kansas City Royals have a clear winning formula.

Much is predicated on their starting rotation, which remains flawless this season, and their stagnant offense being able to scratch across a few runs. The formula has worked for most of the 2025 campaign.

For a while, it was on full display against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. However, the Royals couldn’t put away the Astros in the late innings on consecutive nights.

On Wednesday, the Royals fell, 4-3, in the series finale.

Royals starters Michael Wacha, Kris Bubic and Michael Lorenzen were sharp in their outings.

The trio allowed seven earned runs in 20 innings. Bubic continued to make a case for an All-Star nomination in Tuesday’s pitchers' duel with Astros star Framber Valdez. This season, Bubic ranks fifth in the majors with a 1.66 ERA.

Offensively, the Royals (25-20) scored in spurts. KC logged seven runs in Monday’s game but was shutout after the third inning. Valdez limited them to one run — a Freddy Fermin RBI single — and the club scored three times against Astros rookie Colton Gordon.

The consecutive losses sting. The Royals now sit 4 1/2 games behind the Detroit Tigers in the American League Central.

Here are key takeaways from the road series.

Royals at Astros: Wednesday recap

The Royals took advantage of Gordon making his first MLB start. A few timely hits gave Lorenzen an early cushion on the scoreboard.

Maikel Garcia powered the offense on Wednesday. He hit a solo home run in the second inning and added an RBI double that bounced off the second-base bag.

This season, Garcia ranks second on KC in home runs and fourth in RBIs. He made an adjustment this offseason by incorporating a toe tap in his batting stance. Now, he is able to remain balanced and better connect with incoming pitches.

He drilled a 79.1-mph slider into the Crawford Boxes. The homer traveled 405 feet and fueled the Royals in short order.

Lorenzen took over from there. He limited the Astros to four runs in 7 1/3 innings. Astros third baseman Isaac Parades hit a solo homer to account for the lone early damage.

Parades belted two homers in the series. He was responsible for the Astros walk-off victory on Tuesday night.

But things fell apart in the eighth inning.

Houston (22-20) scored twice to take a 4-3 lead. Mauricio Dubon hit an RBI double to tie the game. Next, Jeremy Pena added the go-ahead single to put the Astros in front.

Astros closer Josh Hader closed the door and picked up the save.

Here are three takeaways from the Royals-Astros series.

India thrives in leadoff spot

It took a minute for Jonathan India to find his footing with the Royals. He posted a .216 batting average in April and dealt with a few hurdles.

India was hit in the helmet by an errant fastball against the Cleveland Guardians. Later, he dealt with a right quad tightness.

In recent games, the Royals have seen better production. India entered Wednesday’s action hitting .306 (15 for 49) with an .810 OPS in his last 12 games.

India went 3 for 5 with two RBIs in Monday’s game. He added an RBI single in the series finale.

“The last couple of weeks he has really started to put good at-bats together,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “We have seen he’s already compiled a bunch of walks. Now, he is getting some hits in big spots.”

Witt dazzles in series

It’s wise to not blink when Bobby Witt Jr. is at the plate. There is a chance he could do something extraordinary with each swing.

In the series, Witt hit two triples. He showcased his dynamic speed on Monday by racing home to third in 11.07 seconds. It was the third-fastest time of that distance in the majors this season.

And Witt flashed the leather defensively.

Witt has a knack for making difficult plays look routine. He helped turn some key double plays that got the Royals out of potential jams.

“That’s a special player, man,” Royals second baseman Michael Massey said Monday. “You know, obviously sometimes we take it for granted while watching it. That’s just amazing. He is a great player, great teammate and we’re lucky to have him.”

Erceg continues scoreless streak

The Royals have relied on Lucas Erceg a lot this season. He has answered the call with 11 2/3 scoreless innings in his last 11 appearances.

During that stretch, Erceg has allowed five hits and registered nine strikeouts. On Tuesday, Erceg recorded five outs for the first time all season.

Quatraro likes to use Erceg in a fireman role. He has extinguished a few problematic flames and leads the majors with 13 holds.

Erceg has not allowed a run since April 18 against the Detroit Tigers. He currently sports a 0.47 ERA in 20 appearances.