Astros Beat Royals 15-6 in Exhibition After Jose Altuve Exits with Leg Injury

Orlin Wagner/Associated Press

The Houston Astros appear ready for the start of the regular season after earning a 15-6 win over the Kansas City Royals in their final tuneup Tuesday.

No pitcher went more than two innings in the exhibition game, but George Springer scored three runs to key a dominant Houston offense to the road win at Kauffman Stadium. The lineup scored in seven of nine innings while 12 different players got a hit.

The Astros beat the Royals 6-3 in their only other summer camp game Monday, and the experienced team seemingly has enough playing time to begin playing games that count. The only concern comes from Jose Altuve, who left in the fourth inning after a collision at home plate.

The team announced he is day-to-day with a leg contusion, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.

Kansas City got plenty of men on base throughout the game but simply couldn't keep up on the scoreboard.

Notable Performances

• George Springer, CF, HOU: 1-for-1, 1 HR, 2 BB, 3 Runs
• Jose Altuve, 2B, HOU: 2-for-2, 1 RBI, 1 Run
• Enoli Paredes, RP, HOU: 2 IP, 0 ER, 5 K, 2 H, 1 BB
• Franchy Cordero, DH, KC: 2-for-5, 1 RBI
• Bobby Witt Jr., 3B, KC: 2-for-3, 2 BB, 1 RBI, 1 SB, 2 Runs
• Glenn Sparkman, SP, KC: 1.2 IP, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 H, 1 K

Astros Lineup Continues to Be Dangerous

Houston finished last season with the highest team batting average in the majors (.274) and third-most runs (920) thanks to a lineup that's as deep as any in the league.

The stars came to play as George Springer got on base and came around to score in each of his three plate appearances, including a solo home run in the fourth inning:

Houston Astros @astros

SPRINGER 👀

Follow along on the radio @SportsTalk790 and 850 AM.

#ForTheH https://t.co/fsSisYtgNV

Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman also picked up an RBI when they were hit by pitches with the bases loaded.

While players like Michael Brantley, Yuli Gurriel and Carlos Correa were relatively quiet Tuesday, they make this a scary offense.

This team also showed a lot of depth offensively as the bench players contributed with big hits.

Alexander De Goti turned heads when he hit a three-run home run after replacing Altuve in the lineup:

Houston Astros @astros

DeGoti gotta go!

#ForTheH https://t.co/P3mKGcbUnA

Sean Pendergast @SeanTPendergast

DE GOTI IS GONNA WALLY PIPP ALTUVE #DeGotiDinger

Taylor Jones and Nick Tanielu also hit home runs in the seventh inning with shots that each went over 400 feet. Aledmys Diaz didn't enter the game until the eighth inning but ended up with two hits and four RBI, including a two-run home run in the ninth.

In a year with a lot of uncertainty, having more players to rely upon could be huge for Houston.

The team saw some of its pitching depth as well after starter Josh James was scratched because of weather concerns. It became a bullpen day, although Enoli Paredes especially stood out with five strikeouts in two shutout innings.

Sloppy Royals Still Look Rusty with Regular Season Approaching

It was an ugly outing for Kansas City, starting with a first-inning error by Brett Phillips leading to a run:

Houston Astros @astros

Getting going in the first!

#ForTheH https://t.co/dqfIFGgT7B

The Astros added to their lead when Jorge Lopez hit consecutive batters with the bases loaded upon entering the game.

Though Altuve and Bregman are expected to get hit by a lot of pitches this year, doing it to let in runs is not the best strategy.

There was also concern when Jackson Kowar got into the game, allowing five runs on five hits in two innings. It was a rough outing for the team's No. 4 prospect, per MLB.com.

Brent Hershey @BrentHQ

Today Kowar lacked feel for his mid-70s CB; he'll need that pitch at MLB level, as noted in my piece on Kowar from an outing last April:

https://t.co/TpmdKWZVxm

2/2

Add the 11 men left on base, and there were a lot of issues with this performance.

There were still some positive takeaways, though, none better than the play of Bobby Witt Jr. The top prospect more than held his own at the plate with two hits, two walks and a double in five appearances at the plate.

He also displayed his other tools, making good plays in the field while stealing a base:

Kansas City Royals @Royals

Call him Bobby the Builder.

He's got tools.

#AlwaysRoyal https://t.co/HZqVuqwIbe

MLB Pipeline @MLBPipeline

The kid flashing the leather at the hot corner 🔥

#Royals top prospect Bobby Witt Jr. getting some time with the big leaguers and showing part of the reason he was the No. 2 overall #MLBDraft pick in 2019.

Here's a closer look at #MLB's No. 10 prospect: https://t.co/8ZKBqCXj6S https://t.co/RfRNzZDATf

Even at just 20 years old, Witt showed he can compete at this level.

Franchy Cordero, who came over in last week's trade with the San Diego Padres, also played well with two hits including an RBI single:

Kansas City Royals @Royals

New Fran coming through.

@Franchycordero with the RBI knock!

#AlwaysRoyal https://t.co/6OqI9et15B

The team needs more of this type of production at the plate in order to be competitive in 2020.

What's Next?

The Royals have one more summer camp game against the St. Louis Cardinals before beginning their regular season Friday on the road against the Cleveland Indians.

The Astros are ready for their regular season, which will begin Friday at home against the Seattle Mariners. Justin Verlander is expected to take the mound on Opening Day for the defending American League champions.