A whopping five runs in the eighth inning, and another two in the ninth, gave the Kansas City Royals a crucial 9-6 victory in Game 4 of their ALDS matchup against the Houston Astros. The victory allowed the Royals to force a winner-take-all Game 5 tonight at Kansas City. The Royals now turn to their ace in Johnny Cueto, while the Astros will put the ever reliable Collin McHugh on the mound. Which of these two tough teams make it to the American League Championship Series?
Another do-or-die Game 5 is on deck for today. Check out the complete preview for the Rangers vs. Blue Jays.
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Houston Astros vs. Kansas City Royals ALDS Game 5 Preview
Where: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City
When: Wednesday, October 14, 8:07 PM ET
Line: Houston Astros (+122) at Kansas City Royals (-132); total: 7.5 – view all MLB lines
Betting on the Houston Astros
How fitting would it be for Collin McHugh (1-0, 3.00 ERA) to start Game 5 of the ALDS and finish the series that he jump-started himself with a 5-2 victory in Game 1? McHugh was solid in the series opener, allowing two earned runs on two homers in six innings. But he only had one strikeout in the contest, regularly needing the Astros fielders to secure those outs.
[sc:MLB240banner ]He got plenty of support from the Astros’ batters, though, who chased Yordano Ventura out of the game after just two innings. Leadoff man Jose Altuve was a solid 3 for 5 with an RBI and a run scored in Game 1. George Springer went 2 for 4 with a solo homer, an RBI and a walk. Colby Rasmus added another solo blast in the eighth; he finished 1 for 3 with two RBIs and his homer.
Of the three, only Rasmus has had much success against the Royals’ Johnny Cueto in his career. Rasmus has hit .333 with three doubles, a homer, five RBIs and has drawn three walks against the Royals ace. Meanwhile, Altuve is just 1 for 6 lifetime against Cueto, and Springer has yet to face him head-to-head.
Another Astros hitter that could have a big performance at the plate is Carlos Gomez, who has two solo blasts against Cueto in his career. Meanwhile, Carlos Correa looks to build up on his stellar 4 for 4, performance at the plate (two HRs, four RBIs) in the Game 4 loss. He was also a triple shy of the cycle.
Houston has won five of its last seven games on the road, including going 2-1 in the postseason.
Betting on the Kansas City Royals
Johnny Cueto (0-0, 6.00 ERA) starts this all-important ALDS Game 5 for the Kansas City Royals. But he hasn’t actually looked too good in the postseason in his career. Cueto is 0-2 with a 5.52 ERA in four postseason starts, including a horrible performance in Kansas City’s Game 2 victory against the Astros.
Cueto gave up four runs on seven hits and three walks, lasting just six innings in Game 2. It took solid efforts from the bullpen and some timely hits at the plate for Cueto to escape with a no decision. And to be frank, Cueto hasn’t looked solid in a Kansas City uniform this entire year at all, including the regular season. He went 4-7 with a 4.76 ERA in 13 starts with the Royals, compared to 7-6 with a 2.62 ERA in 19 starts with Cincinnati.
Thankfully, Cueto can fall back on the Royals’ batters to give him some run support. Kendrys Morales, in particular, had an excellent game against Houston starter Collin McHugh in Game 1 after hitting two homers. Salvador Perez and Eric Hosmer are two other Royals who could go deep after homering in Game 4 to stave off elimination. Perez had two homers and two RBIs, while Hosmer added a two-run homer to help the Royals avoid elimination on the road.
The Royals have won nine of their last 10 game on the brink of postseason elimination. Their only loss came in Game 7 of the World Series last year against the San Francisco Giants.
Writer’s Prediction
Cueto has another paltry outing as the Astros (+122) hammer the Kansas City starter to advance to the ALCS.
