We’ve got a series folks. The Kansas City Royals evened this mouth-watering ALDS at one game apiece with a heart-stopping 5-4 win over the Houston Astros in Game 2 on Friday. The stage is now set for an epic Game 3 showdown with the Royals’ Edinson Volquez (13-9, 3.55 ERA) and the Astros’ Dallas Keuchel (20-8, 2.48 ERA) taking the mound today.
Who will grab the edge in this all-important matchup? Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this critical clash and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of Game 3 of the ALDS between Texas and Toronto.
[sc:MLBArticles ]
Kansas City Royals vs. Houston Astros ALDS Game 3 Preview
Where: Minute Maid Park, Houston
When: Sunday, October 11, 4:10 PM ET
Line: Kansas City Royals (+165) at Houston Astros (-185); total: 7.0 – view all MLB lines
TV Broadcast: MLBN
Betting on the Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals will head to Houston with momentum on their side after recording a morale-boosting 5-4 victory against the Astros in Game 2 of the ALDS. The Royals rallied from a three-run deficit Friday, getting a go-ahead single from Ben Zobrist in the seventh inning, to knot the series at 1-1.
[sc:MLB240banner ]For the Royals to sustain the momentum later today, they need a good pitching performance from Edinson Volquez. He finished with 13 wins for the second straight year, and he breached the 200-inning barrier for the first time in his career this season. That being said, Volquez’ record in the postseason is a bit worrisome. He has only two games of playoff experience and he is 0-2 with a 12.15 ERA in those outings. His most recent postseason appearance came with the Pittsburgh Pirates last year when he was the losing pitcher in the National League Wild Card Game. He allowed five runs on five hits over five innings in that game.
The Royals will take comfort in the fact, however, that Volquez has performed quite well on the road this season. He is 5-5 with a 3.63 ERA in 18 road games this year, including 17 starts. Volquez will have his work cut out for him against Houston, though. In his lone start against the Astros this year, he surrendered five runs in five innings, allowing two home runs.
Given Volquez’s recent struggles against Houston, it’s crucial for the Royals to get some early runs on the board. The Kansas City offense will rely on the red-hot Ben Zobrist to carry them through today. He is 4-of-8 this postseason with one RBI. Another guy who’s hitting the ball well in this year’s playoffs for the Royals is Kendrys Morales. He has three hits in eight at-bats this postseason with two homers and two RBIs.
The Royals are 5-2 in their last seven playoff road games.
The Houston Astros may have suffered a gut-wrenching defeat in Game 2 but they will still feel confident of their series chances heading into their Game 3 showdown with the Kansas City Royals. That’s because they will have the outstanding Dallas Keuchel on the mound at Minute Maid Park later today. He has been simply unstoppable at home this season, going 15-0 in 18 starts there this year. Keuchel recorded an incredible home ERA of 1.46, striking out 139 batters in 129.1 innings while walking just 28.
Keuchel, who led the league in victories (20) and innings (232), showed his worth in the AL Wild Card game, throwing six shutout innings in the Astros’ 3-0 victory over the New York Yankees. He has been playing some excellent baseball of late, going 9-4 with a 2.85 ERA since the All-Star break.
This postseason already has shown, though, that there isn’t a sure thing in the playoffs. Left-handed aces David Price, Jon Lester and Clayton Kershaw have already tasted gut-wrenching losses this postseason and the onus is on the Houston hitters to prevent that from happening to Keuchel.
Expected to lead the Astros’ offense in this all-important Game 3 is Colby Rasmus. He has been in scintillating form this postseason, hitting three home runs in three playoff games thus far. Also expected to contribute today is George Springer. He has four hits in 11 at-bats this postseason, racking up a homer and three RBIs.
The Astros are 5-2 in their last seven Divisional Playoff games.
Writer’s Prediction
Houston (-185) regains the series lead with a dominant 6-0 victory.
