The Houston Astros have not been playing up to anyone’s standards. They are on a road trip where they are now headed to Kansas City to take on the Royals in a three-game series.
At 31-39 and sitting fourth in the American League West, Houston has fallen to five games back. After losing the last two games to the Los Angeles Angels, it is discouraging, given that the Angels have only won 27 games this season.
The Royals are struggling as well, sitting at 28-41, but they are getting to play at home and have won six of their last ten, so their momentum seems to be turning.
The pitching matchups should be a tale in itself. Houston needs to win this series, though, and here is what it is going to take.
1. Steal Friday and Saturday Before Arrighetti Even Takes the Ball
Sunday’s game is already highlighted. Spencer Arrighetti will take the mound with a 7-1 record, a 2.21 ERA, and a 1.193 WHIP. He is clearly the best pitcher in this series and that is putting it mildly.
Kansas City will send Stephen Kolek out with a respectable 3-1 record and a 3.14 ERA but Arrighetti is in a league of his own in this series. Houston should take the game on Sunday without trouble.
The problems will happen Friday and Saturday.
Tatsuya Imai will take the mound on Friday. He has struggled at times and others has looked very capable. Overall, for the year, he holds a 5.24 ERA.
Mike Burrows will get his chance on Saturday. He has not been impressive. His ERA is now at 5.77 on the season.
Neither of these starters exudes confidence, and neither seems to bring out the best in their team.
Kansas City will pair Noah Cameron with Burrows. Cameron has a 3.84 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP across 12 starts.
The Astros need to come out swinging and jump on Luinder Avila early on Friday. The right-hander is 1-2 with a 4.02 ERA. Houston needs to take advantage of him to protect their own shaky starters.
If Houston drops Friday and Saturday, even if they get it together and take the win on Sunday, they still lose the series.
2. Make Bobby Witt Jr. Work For Everything
Looking through Kansas City’s lineups, they are thinner than one might think. Salvador Perez is hitting .197. Vinnie Pasquantino is only at .223. Jac Caglianone has smashed eight home runs but has also struck out a whopping 67 times in 63 games.
Bobby Witt Jr. is the engine. He is hitting .278 with nine home runs and 27 RBI to go along with his 24 stolen bases. He is a true all-around threat and needs to be contained early on. If Houston can neutralize this threat, then the rest of the lineup gets weak fast.
On the other hand, should Witt get hot and confident, he will expose every single weakness the Astros even thought they had. The key here is early containment and making him earn everything.
3. The Supporting Cast Has to Show Up for Yordan Alvarez
Baseball is anything but a one-man sport. Even if that one man is Yordan Alvarez. The guy has been nearly unstoppable in 2026. His numbers speak for themselves.
- .316 batting average
- .430 on-base percentage
- .636 slugging
- 1.066 OPS
- 22 home runs
- 48 RBI
He is one of the best hitters in the business and truly the undisputed leader of the Astros.
As much as he is trying, though, he cannot do this on his own. He has been tasked many times trying to hold this team up, but he needs help.
Christian Walker is hitting .249 with 16 home runs and 48 RBI. Isaac Paredes is slashing .236/.336/.427 with a .763 OPS. Cam Smith shows flashes of greatness and then also carries 72 strikeouts with him in 69 games.
There is real talent on the team, it just doesn’t show up consistently.
Overall, Kansas City’s pitching is hittable. The Royals as a team have a 6.29 ERA from their bullpen, and their rotation has been inconsistent. If Houston can take advantage of mistakes in front of Alvarez and take some of the pressure off, the Astros will be able to score. If they don’t, well, Alvarez can only do so much.
The series opens on Friday night at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. For the Astros, this is a win-now situation.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.si.com ’
