Winning baseball starts on the mound, and that's an understatement as far as the 2015 World Series goes with two stud pitchers lining up for Game 2 in Kauffman Stadium.
Both Edinson Volquez of the Kansas City Royals and Matt Harvey of the New York Mets pitched gems in Game 1 and canceled each other out with three runs apiece. That led to an incredible 14-inning affair as both bullpens battled adversity before the Royals took advantage of a Mets fielding error and loaded the bases for Eric Hosmer's walk-off sacrifice fly.
Neither staff takes a step downward with pitching quality for Game 2. In fact, one could argue that the pitching will be even more dominant in Wednesday's contest.
Johnny Cueto, Kansas City Royals
It's a battle of spectacular hair in Game 2 of the World Series.
While the mop of Jacob deGrom has generated a world of interest throughout this postseason (and long before it), he's got some competition in the form of Johnny Cueto. And if you ask Cueto, he's got the leg up in that category, as he told Jerry Crasnick of ESPN:
Well, that's one advantage he might have over the Mets ace.
Otherwise, Wednesday spells a tough ask for Cueto, who looked shaky at best in his last postseason outing. He gave up eight runs against the Toronto Blue Jays and was yanked after just two innings.
He did do well to dispel his playoff struggles before that, pitching 14 combined innings in two victories over the Houston Astros in the ALDS. But Wednesday, he'll be tasked with slowing down a desperate Mets lineup intent on jumping on him early.
Cueto should settle down in front of his home crowd eventually, but Royals fans haven't seen the ace in Kansas City who emerged as one of baseball's best pitchers with the Cincinnati Reds. He should pitch a strong game but not strong enough to outduel deGrom.
Prediction: 6 innings, 3 runs, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts
Jacob deGrom, New York Mets
Any Mets fans whose heart rates have spiked since their Game 1 defeat should rest easy heading into Game 2, knowing they have their best pitcher on the mound.
And that's saying something, considering the rotation New York has dominated with throughout 2015. There's little doubt, however, that deGrom is the bell cow of that rotation and best suited to pitch in what feels like a must-win game.
Should pitching on the road phase deGrom? He certainly doesn't think so and in fact believes it's to his advantage, per Neil Best of Newsday.
"I've actually enjoyed pitching on the road in the postseason," deGrom said before Game 1. "You go out there, and you're getting booed, and it's fun to try to silence the crowd."
It's not just his talk that should have Mets fans confident—he has backed it up as well. All three of his starts have come on the road this postseason, and he's been virtually unhittable while striking out opponents with ease, per ESPN Stats & Info:
When it comes down to it, pitching on the road hasn't fazed deGrom in the least. It also hasn't fazed him pitching in an elimination game, as he put together a gem in Game 5 of the NLDS and beat the Los Angeles Dodgers.
This game isn't a must-win, but it feels like it. Expect deGrom to pitch in that fashion, putting together seven innings of marvelous work.
Prediction: 7 innings, 1 run, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Game Prediction
The Mets bullpen entered the stretch run of Game 1 with a one-run lead and didn't prove able to hold on to it. But you can't expect closer Jeurys Familia to give up a late game-tying homer in a second straight game.
New York will give the Royals' opportunistic lineup a breath of life in the eighth, allowing them to trim the deficit to just one run. But in the same position as he was Tuesday, Familia won't let his club down.
Prediction: Mets 3, Royals 2
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