There's nothing like October baseball. As fall ushers in a seasonal shift, it signals a change in Major League Baseball with the game's elite beginning their quest for a World Series title.
With the division series rolling on, the American League takes center stage on Sunday with one team on the cusp of clinching its place in the AL Championship Series.
Let's take a look at Sunday's games, TV schedule, odds and who I think is going to win each game. All odds are courtesy of Odds Shark.
Kansas City Royals at Houston Astros
It was gut-check time for the Royals on Friday. After dropping Game 1, Kansas City found a way to come back from a 4-2 deficit and knot the series up at one game apiece against a Houston bullpen that looked very shaky.
However, it doesn't look like the bullpens will be needed much in Game 3 with Houston's ace Dallas Keuchel matching up against Kansas City's Edinson Volquez, who has been one of the best arms for the Royals this season
Here's how the pitchers stack up against each other:
If there were any doubts about how well Keuchel would perform in the playoffs, they were quelled in emphatic fashion during the AL Wild Card Game against the New York Yankees. Firing six innings of shutout, three-hit baseball, Keuchel had no trouble transitioning from the regular season to the postseason.
ESPN Stats & Info shows that the Royals will have their work cut out against him as well:
But Keuchel has had mixed results against the Royals this season. In two starts, he is 1-1. He completely dominated Kansas City in his first outing, shutting them out over eight innings in Houston. But in his second start against them, he got hammered for five runs on 10 hits in Kansas City.
Luckily for Keuchel, Game 3 is the first postseason game in Houston since Game 4 of the 2005 World Series. And he's been unbeatable in 2015 at Minute Maid Park as the Astros have noted:
Houston hasn't been as accommodating to Volquez in 2015. In one start against the Astros, Volquez only went five innings, allowing five runs on eight hits. Considering his playoff record, it's probably unsettling that Volquez will be facing an Astros offense that averages over 4.5 runs per game.
I think the Astros are only going to need a couple of runs, and then Keuchel can do the rest of the work. They shouldn't have any problem handling that, especially with the way Colby Rasmus has been playing. He's the first player in MLB history to record extra-base hits in each of his first six postseason games, per ESPN Stats & Info.
Prediction: Houston wins 6-2 to take 2-1 ALDS lead.
Toronto Blue Jays at Texas Rangers
It's already do-or-die time for the Blue Jays. Despite a scorching second half that saw them develop into one of the most dangerous teams in baseball, their backs are already against the wall as they trail the Rangers 2-0 in the best-of-five series.
This is what happens with teams that build their reputation on their offense while allowing their pitching to fall by the wayside. Playing against more well-rounded teams in the postseason, these big-time offensive teams cannot just outscore their opponents.
Texas has looked like the more composed team, coming up with answers for everything the Blue Jays have managed to throw their way—which hasn't been much. Let's take a look at the teams' stats through the first two games:
The Rangers are churning out runs in industrial fashion, led by the young Rougned Odor. The 21-year-old has scored five of Texas' 11 runs, thanks to his speed and aggressive play on the basepaths. Odor hit one of the two Rangers' home runs this series, a solo shot, which is also his only RBI.
He provided one of the best slides you'll ever see during Game 2, as shown by the MLB:
But on the brink of elimination, the Blue Jays' stacked lineup is going to be swinging big. They also have their second-best pitcher on the mound. Marco Estrada had the best ERA among Blue Jays starters that appeared in more than 25 games, with a 3.13 mark.
However, in six postseason innings pitched over two outings, Estrada has allowed four runs. With the pressure of elimination looming, I can see Estrada doing just enough to allow the Blue Jays to win this game with their bats.
I also don't think AL MVP front-runner Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion or Troy Tulowitzki will be held down for a third consecutive game, especially against Martin Perez, who is 3-6 this season with a 4.46 ERA. There will be at least one more game played in Texas.
Prediction: Blue Jays win 8-4 and will trail Texas 2-1 in the series
Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com
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