The American League Division Series resumes Sunday with both teams from Texas inching closer to a Lone Star showdown in the League Championship Series.
The Houston Astros are looking to overcome a late loss on Friday and break a 1-1 tie against the defending AL champion Kansas City Royals at Minute Maid Park, where they posted the majors’ fifth-best home record (53-28).
Meanwhile, with a win at home, the Texas Rangers can sweep the Toronto Blue Jays, who entered the postseason as the World Series favorites, according to OddsShark.com.
Urgency is a major factor in both best-of-five series, and here is a guide to the AL action on Sunday, Oct. 11.
Kansas City Royals at Houston Astros
Time: 4 p.m. ET
TV: MLB Network
Live Stream: MLB Network Live
Probable Starters: Edinson Volquez (Royals) vs. Dallas Keuchel (Astros)
The Astros are coming off a stinging 5-4 loss in Game 2 in which they blew an early three-run lead. However, the Royals needed a majority of their well-equipped pitching arsenal to secure the win.
Starter Johnny Cueto, essentially on rent as an impending high-price free agent, allowed four runs in the first three innings. Kansas City was forced to turn to its three shutdown relievers—Kelvin Herrera, Ryan Madson and Wade Davis—in consecutive innings to hold on.
The series shifts to hitter-friendly Minute Maid Park, where the Astros smacked 128 home runs this year, tied for the most in the majors by a home team, according to baseball-reference.com.
The Astros have belted five homers in three playoff games thus far, including three from Colby Rasmus, who is hitting a red-hot .444 this postseason and has driven in the first Astros run in all three postseason games.
Houston’s offense will be complemented by Cy Young candidate Dallas Keuchel, who is coming off six shutout innings on three days’ rest against the Yankees in the AL Wild Card Game. But perhaps more paramount, Keuchel is 15-0 with a 1.46 ERA at home.
Nonetheless, Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer exhibited confidence when speaking about Houston’s bearded hurler to Ted Berg of USA Today: "We do well against aces," Hosmer said. "We're going to go in there and battle, try to get off to an early lead. The way the bullpen's been throwing for us, if we can just get out to an early lead as an offense, we'll feel pretty good about it."
But if the playoffs have shown anything, it’s that an ace is far from a sure bet. The Chicago Cubs’ Jon Lester, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw and the Toronto Blue Jays’ David Price all suffered defeats in Game 1 of their respective series.
But given that the Astros have embodied poise and resiliency, even in a Game 2 defeat, Keuchel and the surging offense will be too tough to overcome.
Prediction: Astros 3, Royals 2
Toronto Blue Jays at Texas Rangers
Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: Fox Sports 1
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go
Probable Starters: Marco Estrada (Blue Jays) vs. Martin Perez (Rangers)
The Blue Jays went from championship favorite to the brink of elimination in the span of just two days.
The Rangers marched into the Rogers Centre and captured two wins over a beleaguered Blue Jays bunch that hobbles into Texas looking to save their season.
Toronto lost a one-run lead in the eighth inning of Game 2 when pinch-hitting Mike Napoli lined an RBI single to tie the game at four. The Rangers went on to score a pair of two-out runs in the 14th inning and hold on to a 6-4 win, leaving the Blue Jays with hopes to become just the sixth team since the LDS was implemented in 1995 to overcome an 0-2 deficit.
Though the odds to win the series aren’t in the Blue Jays’ favor, a sweep seems unlikely. As Brendan Kennedy of the Toronto Star indicates, the team hasn’t lost three consecutive games since July 2-4—long before their midseason makeover that brought in superstars Troy Tulowitzki and David Price.
The Blue Jays’ starter on Sunday, Marco Estrada, was one of the hottest pitchers after the All-Star break ranking behind only Price in second-half ERA among qualified pitchers, according to ESPN. He also held batters to a .203 average, tops in the AL, per John Lott of the National Post.
Blue Jays manager Josh Gibbons admitted to Neil Davidson of the Canadian Press (h/t Calgary Herald) he didn’t expect such a surge from the righty.
"I really can't say truthfully what we expected out of him going into the season. I don't know. Didn't expect this, I know that," Gibbons said.
The Blue Jays may be eyeing elimination, but indications point to a resurgence in Game 3.
Prediction: Blue Jays 5, Rangers 3
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