AL Central

On Friday, the Kansas City Royals punched their second consecutive World Series ticket on the strength of closer Wade Davis, who picked up the win with a gutsy, rain-delayed, 1.2-inning performance.

So that's the obvious angle: The Royals win the pennant again thanks to their dominant, shutdown relief corps.

The American League Championship Series, as advertised, has showcased a potent, high-scoring offense. The surprise? It's been the Kansas City Royals, not the Toronto Blue Jays, who've done the bulk of the mashing.

It has been the same problem all season long, and it was the No. 1 concern going into this postseason. 

The Kansas City Royals’ starting pitchers had been inconsistent at best. From Opening Day though the end of the season, that has been the case. October baseball’s bigger stage and brighter lights have done nothing to improve the outlook over the team’s first eight playoff games.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Daniel Norris announced Monday on Instagram that doctors found a malignant growth on his thyroid a few months ago and he will require surgery this offseason to remove the growth.

Kendrys Morales hasn't left his mark on the American League Championship Series—yet.

Edinson Volquez and the Kansas City Royals warmed up for the American League Championship Series by dispatching one of the most dangerous offenses in baseball.

And one game in, that’s proving to be ample practice for the most dangerous offense in baseball.

For the second straight year, the Kansas City Royals are headed to the American League Championship Series. Johnny Cueto threw eight innings of two-hit ball, and Kendrys Morales hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning to cap the Royals' 7-2 victory over the Houston Astros in Game 5 of their divisional series.

The Royals provided a look at the on-field celebration:

With Game 5 of the American League Division Series between the Houston Astros and Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium fast approaching, it’s time to

It worked out pretty well last year, didn’t it? 

The Kansas City Royals had a definitive formula to winning games during last year’s postseason, and quite frankly it is what they tried to rely on for much of the last two regular seasons.

The Minnesota Twins are crashing the wild-card party and have been one of the biggest surprises of the 2015 season. After finishing last year with the second-worst record in the American League, the Cinderella Twins are now very much in the postseason picture and are just one game back for the second AL wild-card spot following a dramatic win Thursday night.