Check the clock early for today’s Kansas City Royals vs Houston Astros Game 4 on Fox Sports.
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“I figured he was going to let me pitch to their best hitter”, Keuchel said of Astros manager A.J. Hinch, who paid a mound visit prior to the decisive at-bat. Kansas City’s relief corps was simply better, preserving the first win by a home team this postseason. “I think he should be the Cy Young victor this year”.
Keuchel was obviously great but he didn’t completely shut the Royals bats down.
Cain also gave the Royals the first lead of the game with a solo home run that cleared the Crawford Boxes in left field.
Kansas City Royals players celebrate on the field after defeating the Baltimore Orioles in game four of the 2014 ALCS playoff baseball game at Kauffman Stadium. Obviously, none of us are ready to go home. “Obviously, it didn’t work out the way we wanted it (Sunday)”.
The Astros now lead the series 2-1.
NOTES: Astros CF Carlos Gomez was in the starting lineup for the first time this series, batting sixth. “He came up with a few excellent pitches”. Carter, who hit. 199 and did not have one three-hit game all season, finished 3-for-3.
Carter hit. 344 in September to help the Astros earn the second AL wild-card spot, their first postseason berth since 2005. “We come in every day expecting to win”, Royals left-hander Danny Duffy said. But based off of their postseason success last season and strong performance in the regular season, the Missouri based team became an instant favorite to win the World Series alongside a fellow in-state team.
“That play that Hos made on the pickoff, I don’t know if there’s a lot of first basemen that can make that play”, Royals manager Ned Yost said.
Unlike Carter, he’s been around since 2010, a steady presence the organization through losing 424 games over three seasons and right on through to his first playoff berth this season. Carter, however, kickstarted a one-out rally in the fifth against Royals starter Edinson Volquez when he hit a one-out double to left field after Luis Valbuena had drawn a walk.
That’s when the Astros can advance to the AL Championship Series, a fate even their top brass could not have possibly anticipated, not with a club that relies on youngsters up and down the roster.
Cain ran down the ball and extended his left arm in time to grab the ball, but it hit the palm of his glove and bounced out. Cain slid across the warning track on his stomach and punched the wall in frustration when he got back to his feet.
“Good time to get my first hit in the postseason, that’s for sure”, he quipped.
The former president has been wearing the brace since he slipped at his home in July and broke a vertebrae in his neck. With wife Barbara by his side, he bounced a short throw from about 5 feet in front of the plate to Houston’s Jed Lowrie.
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Houston rookie Lance McCullers (6-7, 3.22) will go against Yordano Ventura (13-8, 4.08) in Game 4 on Monday. But he seems undaunted by the challenge.
