One win separates the Kansas City Royals from a World Series showdown with the New York Mets, but a stiff Game 6 test awaits the reigning American League champions.
Following the Toronto Blue Jays' 7-1 Game 5 win Wednesday, the pressure is on Kansas City to respond with a series-clinching victory Friday and squash Toronto's hopes once and for all. However, David Price will be taking the mound for the Blue Jays, and if his performance in Game 2 was any indication, the Royals could experience some trouble at the plate.
As the massive showdown approaches, here's a look at the updated American League Championship Series schedule:
All ALCS games can be live-streamed via Fox Sports Go.
Previewing Game 6
The ball will be back in Price's hand for Game 6, which means we have to mention Price's historic postseason struggles. Although the lefty was brilliant for six innings in Toronto's Game 2 loss to the Royals, he self-destructed in the seventh inning, handing Kansas City a 2-0 series edge.
Price is now 0-7 in postseason starts over the course of his career. However, a shot at redemption has presented itself with a chance for Price to take Toronto's title hopes off life support Friday evening at Kauffman Stadium.
The good news for Toronto is that the team didn't thrust Price into relief duty in Game 5, as it had planned to, thanks to a stellar outing from starter Marco Estrada, as CBS Sports' David Brown explained:
Only 15.2 percent of teams that are down 3-1 in a best-of-7 series come back to win it. In order to maximize their chances in the series, the Blue Jays needed not only to win, but also to minimize the amount of relief pitchers used in Game 5. And don't use Price at all if they could help it. Other than losing the pennant outright, a nightmare scenario included winning Game 5 but having to use Price in relief -- and he was warming up in the seventh inning.
"That really worked out perfectly," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said, per Bleacher Report's Danny Knobler.
If Price can replicate even portions of the first six innings he pitched in Game 2, Toronto will be in good shape. During that span, the southpaw allowed one hit and no runs, striking out seven while retiring a postseason-franchise-record 18 batters in a row, per USA Today's Jorge L. Ortiz.
The task for Toronto will be generating quality run support. In four road games during the postseason, the Blue Jays have generated 16 runs, which equates to an average of just four runs per night. In Price's last start, Toronto mustered three runs. Against a seasoned and disciplined Kansas City lineup, that's not good enough.
The Royals, on the other hand, have churned out five runs per home game in the postseason. Kansas City has lost a single home tilt since the second season began, and that defeat came in Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Houston Astros.
Here's another stat that should have Price and the Blue Jays nervous: The Royals haven't lost back-to-back games since late September.
"You've got to have a short-term memory in this game," Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer said following Wednesday's Game 5 loss, per the Kansas City Star's Vahe Gregorian. "You've got to flush it out, and when you look at the series as a whole right now … we like where we're at."
Kansas City's comfort and confidence at home will make a 3-2 series deficit difficult for Toronto to erase, but if any team is equipped to do it, it's the Blue Jays. Toronto was down 2-0 against the Texas Rangers but emerged with a 3-2 ALDS victory that included timely offensive explosions.
The Royals are a different beast and have numbers on their side, but the Blue Jays have the mental and physical wherewithal to pull off a second straight stunner.
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