Kansas City @ Baltimore preview
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Last Meeting ( Oct 10, 2014 ) Kansas City 8, Baltimore 6
The Kansas City Royals were last in the majors in home runs during the regular season, but the postseason has been a different story. The slugging Royals attempt to take a 2-0 lead in the American League Championship Series when they visit the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday. Kansas City is breaking out its power in extra innings in the playoffs and got 10th-inning blasts from Alex Gordon and Mike Moustakas to post an 8-6 win in Game 1.
The Royals have recorded four of their five postseason victories via extra innings, with the last three coming thanks to the home run, and got the better of the bullpen battle with the Orioles in Friday's opener. Baltimore overcame a pair of four-run deficits and escaped a bases-loaded, none-out jam in the ninth to get to extra innings before Darren O’Day surrendered Gordon’s leadoff blast in the 10th. Kansas City's setup duo of Kelvim Herrera and Wade Davis combined to strike out six in four scoreless innings, but neither closer – Baltimore’s Zach Britton nor the Royals’ Greg Holland – looked sharp in Game 1.
TV: 4:07 p.m. ET, TBS
PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals RH Yordano Ventura (0-0, 1.29 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Bud Norris (1-0, 0.00) or Orioles LH Wei-Yin Chen (0-0, 12.27)
Ventura dominated the Los Angeles Angels in the AL Division Series, allowing one run and five hits while striking out five in seven innings. The 23-year-old rookie regularly reaches 100 miles per hour with his fastball and only issued one walk at Los Angeles. Ventura faced Baltimore twice during the regular season and went 1-1 while yielding a total of two runs and striking out 17 in 14 1/3 frames.
Orioles manager Buck Showalter sent both Norris and Chen to the media session reserved for Game 2 starters on Friday and refused to tip his hand on which will get the nod for the start. Chen was knocked around for five runs in 3 2/3 innings during the ALDS against Detroit but surrendered three runs in 12 1/3 frames against Kansas City during the regular season. Norris cruised through 6 1/3 scoreless frames to earn a win in the decisive Game 3 of the ALDS and allowed a run on four hits over 7 1/3 innings in his lone regular-season start against the Royals.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Royals, who totaled 95 home runs in the regular season, pounded three in Game 1.
2. Baltimore DH Nelson Cruz drove in a run in Game 1, giving him 19 RBIs in 13 career ALCS games.
3. Kansas City LF Gordon was hit in the neck with a pitch in the eighth inning but remained in the game.
PREDICTION: Orioles 3, Royals 2