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HOUSTON ( KAZMIR )
KANSAS CITY ( CUETO ) |
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| AL Division Series - Best of 5 - Game 2 - HOU leads 1-0 | |  | |
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| 911 | HOUSTON | +125 | Ov 7.5,+110 | +125 | Ov 7.5,+110 | | 912 | KANSAS CITY | -135 | Un 7.5,-130 | -135 | Un 7.5,-130 |
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| All Games | 88-76 | -1.2 | 73-82 | 4.5 | 0.250 | 0.311 | 0.437 | 0.748 | 3.8 | 0.239 | 0.294 | 0.380 | 0.674 | | Road Games | 35-48 | -15.9 | 37-41 | 4.5 | 0.247 | 0.305 | 0.414 | 0.719 | 4.1 | 0.245 | 0.305 | 0.389 | 0.694 | | vs Right-handed Starters | 58-44 | +8.9 | 50-47 | 4.8 | 0.254 | 0.315 | 0.445 | 0.760 | 3.8 | 0.236 | 0.291 | 0.371 | 0.662 | | Past 7 Games | 5-2 | +2.3 | 3-4 | 7.0 | 0.306 | 0.367 | 0.558 | 0.926 | 3.7 | 0.247 | 0.291 | 0.410 | 0.701 | | Grass Games | 88-70 | +5.2 | 71-79 | 4.6 | 0.252 | 0.313 | 0.442 | 0.755 | 3.7 | 0.238 | 0.293 | 0.379 | 0.671 | | Day Games | 28-23 | +2.7 | 26-23 | 4.7 | 0.254 | 0.319 | 0.444 | 0.763 | 3.9 | 0.234 | 0.295 | 0.376 | 0.671 | | Playoff games | 2-0 | +2.2 | 0-2 | 4.0 | 0.242 | 0.324 | 0.455 | 0.779 | 1.0 | 0.143 | 0.182 | 0.238 | 0.420 |
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| All Games | 4.5 | 0.250 | 0.311 | 164 | 5525 | 1379 | 280 | 26 | 234 | 0.437 | 700 | 494 | 1415 | 124 | 1048 | 122 | 87 | 131 | 88 | | Road Games | 4.5 | 0.247 | 0.305 | 83 | 2920 | 721 | 146 | 12 | 106 | 0.414 | 348 | 242 | 726 | 69 | 571 | 56 | 49 | 61 | 51 | | Righty Starters | 4.8 | 0.254 | 0.315 | 102 | 3461 | 878 | 179 | 13 | 152 | 0.445 | 464 | 309 | 882 | 80 | 649 | 73 | 51 | 74 | 55 |
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| All Games | 3.17 | 1.097 | 463.3 | 180 | 163 | 372 | 45 | 136 | 469 | 27-30 | 41 | 18 | 69.5% | | Road Games | 3.65 | 1.225 | 219.7 | 98 | 89 | 186 | 20 | 83 | 209 | 12-16 | 19 | 9 | 67.9% |
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| All Games | 95-68 | +17.5 | 73-76 | 4.5 | 0.268 | 0.315 | 0.412 | 0.727 | 4.0 | 0.250 | 0.311 | 0.397 | 0.708 | | Home Games | 51-31 | +10.1 | 36-39 | 4.6 | 0.278 | 0.327 | 0.425 | 0.752 | 3.9 | 0.249 | 0.303 | 0.395 | 0.698 | | vs Left-handed Starters | 31-27 | -0.1 | 25-28 | 4.2 | 0.272 | 0.316 | 0.412 | 0.728 | 4.3 | 0.258 | 0.313 | 0.402 | 0.715 | | Past 7 Games | 5-2 | +2.4 | 2-5 | 4.1 | 0.244 | 0.308 | 0.404 | 0.712 | 2.7 | 0.254 | 0.322 | 0.325 | 0.647 | | Grass Games | 92-64 | +18.4 | 70-72 | 4.5 | 0.270 | 0.318 | 0.417 | 0.734 | 3.9 | 0.250 | 0.311 | 0.396 | 0.707 | | Day Games | 29-16 | +13.2 | 21-19 | 5.0 | 0.278 | 0.326 | 0.443 | 0.769 | 4.2 | 0.250 | 0.313 | 0.403 | 0.716 | | Playoff games | 0-1 | -1.3 | 0-1 | 2.0 | 0.182 | 0.206 | 0.364 | 0.570 | 5.0 | 0.306 | 0.359 | 0.500 | 0.859 |
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| All Games | 4.5 | 0.268 | 0.315 | 163 | 5608 | 1503 | 300 | 42 | 141 | 0.412 | 692 | 384 | 977 | 102 | 1085 | 153 | 86 | 142 | 76 | | Home Games | 4.6 | 0.278 | 0.327 | 82 | 2706 | 752 | 157 | 25 | 64 | 0.425 | 365 | 197 | 441 | 64 | 538 | 74 | 34 | 75 | 41 | | Lefty Starters | 4.2 | 0.272 | 0.316 | 58 | 2025 | 551 | 118 | 12 | 47 | 0.412 | 235 | 129 | 344 | 34 | 406 | 60 | 39 | 49 | 29 |
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| All Games | 2.70 | 1.137 | 546.3 | 178 | 164 | 428 | 50 | 193 | 514 | 30-14 | 56 | 16 | 77.8% | | Home Games | 2.55 | 1.104 | 282.7 | 88 | 80 | 233 | 23 | 79 | 254 | 17-3 | 25 | 6 | 80.6% |
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| 9/25/2015 | KAZMIR(L) | TEXAS | GALLARDO(R) | 2-6 | L | -140 | 8 ov | P | 11 | 11 | 3 | 13 | 9 | 2 | | 9/26/2015 | MCHUGH(R) | TEXAS | HOLLAND(L) | 9-7 | W | -150 | 8 ev | O | 10 | 7 | 0 | 12 | 7 | 1 | | 9/27/2015 | KEUCHEL(L) | TEXAS | PEREZ(L) | 4-2 | W | -225 | 8 un | U | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | | 9/28/2015 | MCCULLERS(R) | @ SEATTLE | ELIAS(L) | 3-2 | W | -135 | 7 ov | U | 7 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | | 9/29/2015 | FIERS(R) | @ SEATTLE | NUNO(L) | 4-6 | L | -135 | 7.5 un | O | 8 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 6 | 1 | | 9/30/2015 | KAZMIR(L) | @ SEATTLE | ZYCH(R) | 7-6 | W | -150 | 8 un | O | 14 | 7 | 4 | 12 | 8 | 1 | | 10/2/2015 | KEUCHEL(L) | @ ARIZONA | DE LA ROSA(R) | 21-5 | W | -165 | 8.5 un | O | 19 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 9 | 4 | | 10/3/2015 | MCHUGH(R) | @ ARIZONA | HELLICKSON(R) | 6-2 | W | -160 | 8.5 ov | U | 11 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 1 | | 10/4/2015 | MCCULLERS(R) | @ ARIZONA | RAY(L) | 3-5 | L | -150 | 8.5 un | U | 11 | 9 | 1 | 11 | 10 | 0 | | 10/6/2015 | KEUCHEL(L) | @ NY YANKEES | TANAKA(R) | 3-0 | W | -105 | 7 ev | U | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 0 | | 10/8/2015 | MCHUGH(R) | @ KANSAS CITY | VENTURA(R) | 5-2 | W | 120 | 7.5 ev | U | 11 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | | 10/9/2015 | KAZMIR(L) | @ KANSAS CITY | CUETO(R) | |
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| 9/25/2015 | VOLQUEZ(R) | CLEVELAND | CARRASCO(R) | 0-6 | L | +145 | 7 ev | U | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 1 | | 9/26/2015 | MEDLEN(R) | CLEVELAND | TOMLIN(R) | 5-9 | L | -125 | 8 un | O | 7 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 4 | 0 | | 9/27/2015 | YOUNG(R) | CLEVELAND | SALAZAR(R) | 3-0 | W | +110 | 8 ov | U | 9 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | | 9/28/2015 | VENTURA(R) | @ CHICAGO CUBS | HENDRICKS(R) | 0-1 | L | -115 | 8 un | U | 4 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | | 9/29/2015 | CUETO(R) | @ CHI WHITE SOX | SAMARDZIJA(R) | 2-4 | L | -145 | 7.5 ov | U | 9 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | | 9/30/2015 | VOLQUEZ(R) | @ CHI WHITE SOX | QUINTANA(L) | 5-3 | W | 110 | 7.5 un | O | 7 | 6 | 1 | 13 | 11 | 2 | | 10/1/2015 | MEDLEN(R) | @ CHI WHITE SOX | DANKS(L) | 6-4 | W | -135 | 7.5 ov | O | 13 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 1 | | 10/2/2015 | YOUNG(R) | @ MINNESOTA | SANTANA(R) | 3-1 | W | 105 | 7.5 un | U | 7 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 3 | | 10/3/2015 | VENTURA(R) | @ MINNESOTA | MILONE(L) | 5-1 | W | -120 | 7.5 un | U | 9 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 3 | | 10/4/2015 | CUETO(R) | @ MINNESOTA | NOLASCO(R) | 6-1 | W | -165 | 8 un | U | 10 | 11 | 1 | 7 | 12 | 0 | | 10/8/2015 | VENTURA(R) | HOUSTON | MCHUGH(R) | 2-5 | L | -130 | 7.5 ev | U | 6 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 7 | 0 | | 10/9/2015 | CUETO(R) | HOUSTON | KAZMIR(L) | |
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| |  | HOUSTON: HOUSTON (AP) - The Houston Astros moved out of the major league basement last season.
Now the question is whether Jose Altuve and his teammates are ready to contend this year or if they still need a couple of seasons to complete their rebuild and get back to the postseason.
Owner Jim Crane is confident the time is now.
''This is our year,'' he said, adding that their goal is to make the playoffs.
The Astros made a 19-game improvement in 2014 to win 70 games and snap a streak of three straight 100-loss seasons. They beefed up a bullpen that struggled last year and added more pop to a lineup that was fourth in the majors with 163 homers in 2014 in an attempt to take another step in 2015.
''These guys are all professional baseball players and they all want to win,'' general manager Jeff Luhnow said. ''We're not going to set any limitations on them. It's up to them at this point. We've done our work for the offseason.''
The Astros blew 25 saves last season, a statistic that troubled Crane more than any other number associated with his team. His first order of business this offseason was to bring in players to get that number down this year.
To that end, Houston added relievers Luke Gregerson and Pat Neshek. Gregerson appeared in 72 games for the Athletics last season and posted a 2.12 ERA and Neshek saw action in 71 games for St. Louis in 2014 with a 1.87 ERA.
A lineup that already had power aplenty with Chris Carter, whose 37 homers tied for second in the majors last season, and George Springer, who hit 20 in just 78 games, now has more sluggers with the addition of Evan Gattis and Colby Rasmus. Gattis has hit 43 homers combined in his first two major league seasons and Rasmus has hit at least 22 home runs in two of the last three years.
That power is what excites first-year manager A.J. Hinch most about his team.
''We have a chance to be a dangerous lineup,'' Hinch said with a smile.
Some things to know about the 2015 Astros:
EXPECTATIONS FOR ALTUVE: Altuve became the first Astros player to win a batting title by hitting .341 last season. He set a team record with 225 hits, was third in the majors with 47 doubles, had 59 RBIs and tied for second in the league with 56 stolen bases.
So what does Luhnow expect the 24-year-old second baseman to do for an encore?
''He's going to be a .300 career hitter, which are few and far between,'' Luhnow said. ''So there's going to be years like with most of these great hitters where they hit .340 and years that they hit .305. In my mind Altuve is an elite major league hitter and we're going to see it year in and year out.''
SPRINGER'S SECOND YEAR: Springer, the 11th overall pick in the 2011 draft, hit .231 with 20 homers and 51 RBIs in 78 games as a rookie. He injured his left quadriceps on July 20 and he didn't play again. The Astros are eager to see what the right fielder can do in a full season.
''He's got a ton of potential,'' Hinch said. ''He's a dynamic player. He can do a lot of different things in a lot of different ways. Everybody sort of sits up in their seats when he comes up to bat. I think there's a chance for him to have impact in all (areas) of the game, which is hard to come by.''
CAN ROTATION BE CONSISTENT?: Dallas Keuchel (12-9, 2.93 ERA) and Collin McHugh (11-9, 2.73) had breakout seasons in 2014, but can they perform at that level in a second year to lead the rotation? Keuchel posted ERAs of over 5.00 in both of his first two seasons before being chosen this year's opening day starter with his work last year, and McHugh had ERAs of 7.59 and 10.04 in his first two years before his success in 2014.
ANOTHER NEW SKIPPER: Counting interim managers, Hinch is the seventh manager the Astros have had since 2009. He was hired just after last season following the firing of Bo Porter, who was let go near the end of his second season.
This is the second time the 40-year-old Hinch has led a team after he managed Arizona from May 2009 until July 2010, when he was fired after 31-48 start. He was the vice president of professional scouting for San Diego from 2010 until August. | | KANSAS CITY: KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Every once in a while, Ned Yost will spin a story about his days on Bobby Cox's bench with the Atlanta Braves, back when the organization was winning NL pennants by the fistful.
Inevitably, Yost would start drawing comparisons to his Kansas City Royals - that they were building through the farm system in the same manner as the Braves, and Kansas City would embrace the franchise in the same way Atlanta did if it ever became a winner.
Last year, that narrative finally made sense.
After squeaking into the playoffs as a wild card, the Royals swept all the way to the World Series. If not for a virtuoso performance by Madison Bumgarner of the San Francisco Giants, the Royals might very well have been celebrating their second championship.
The postseason run led Yost to draw one more comparison when he arrived in Arizona for the start of a new season, and his players filed into the clubhouse for the first time.
''It definitely reminded me of that feeling in Atlanta,'' he said, ''when you came to spring training every year with the feeling that you have an opportunity to go to the World Series - instead of hoping, you know? And it's a different feeling.''
There is good reason for that feeling, too.
The Royals return most of the pieces from the club that ended a 29-year playoff drought, including one of the best bullpens in baseball history. And the pieces they did lose to free agency have been replaced with what could turn out to be upgrades.
Designated hitter Billy Butler is gone, Kendrys Morales signed in his place. Alex Rios is taking over for Nori Aoki in right field. Edinson Volquez was signed to fill the rotation spot of staff ace James Shields, who chased bigger money all the way to San Diego.
Even though a few faces have changed, the tenants that the Royals believe in have not: They will continue to rely on speed, defense and pitching to chase another playoff berth.
''Any time you're fortunate enough to keep those key pieces, you feel good,'' said Greg Holland, the Royals' All-Star closer. ''Yeah, we lost Billy and Shields and Nori, but for the most part, we're right where we need to be.''
Besides, the back end of the bullpen is still intact.
Kelvin Herrera harnessed his electrifying fastball to become a shutdown seventh-inning reliever last season. Former starter Wade Davis had a historically dominant year as the setup man. Holland further cemented his status as the AL's best closer.
''The way you tilt the field in your favor, in my opinion, is having quality pitching and really good defense,'' Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. ''Those are things that hopefully can show up every single day and perform for you.''
As the Royals approach opening day against the Chicago White Sox on April 6 at Kauffman Stadium, here are a few other story lines to watch this season:
THE ROTATION: Shields was the anchor in 2014, but he struggled mightily in the playoffs. So when the Royals signed Volquez to replace him, it was mostly met with a collective shrug.
Besides, the success of the rotation will more likely be determined by the success of young flamethrowers Danny Duffy and Yordano Ventura, both of whom have ace ability.
INJURY BUGS: The Royals stayed remarkably healthy last season. Will karma even out?
Second baseman Omar Infante already missed long stretches of spring training with a bone spur in his elbow that could require surgery next offseason. Left fielder Alex Gordon also got a slow start to the spring after undergoing wrist surgery this past offseason.
SLOW STARTS: The last couple of seasons, the Royals have gotten off to slow starts. They unsuccessfully dug out of a big hole two years ago, but pulled it off last season.
Considering every other team in the AL Central appeared to get better over the winter, the Royals can ill afford to let Detroit, Cleveland and Minnesota and the White Sox bury them.
RESTING SALVY: All-Star catcher Salvador Perez faded in the playoffs in part due to his heavy work load in the regular season, where he appeared in 150 games. Yost intends to give him more days off this year, though it's hard to take his bat out of the lineup.
BASEBALL TOWN: Did the World Series run turn Kansas City into a baseball town again? The club has been overshadowed for decades by the Chiefs, who play just across the parking lot in Arrowhead stadium. How will fans respond to having the reigning AL champions? |
| | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PA SPORTSTICKER AL PREVIEW (HOUSTON-KANSAS CITY) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Astros-Royals Preview* =======================
Houston (86-76) at Kansas City (95-67), 3:45 p.m. EDT
The Houston Astros swung a deal for Scott Kazmir in July with October baseball in mind.
The Kansas City Royals did the same for Johnny Cueto.
It's only fitting the two pitchers, acquired by their teams three days apart, will oppose each other in Game 2 of their AL division series on Friday at Kauffman Stadium.
Kazmir will take the mound after Collin McHugh pitched six strong innings in Thursday's 5-2 victory to open the series two days after ace Dallas Keuchel lasted six in a 3-0 victory over the New York Yankees in the wild-card game.
"It's a big responsibility for someone like me that gets traded to a contending team, to be able to bring these guys to the postseason," Kazmir said. "It's just a matter of staying confident and pitching my game. There's a lot of things you can't control on the mound to where you have to stay confident in your abilities and know what you're capable of doing."
The Astros traded right-hander Daniel Mengden and catcher Jacob Nottingham to Oakland for Kazmir, a Houston native whom they had pursued in free agency.
But the 31-year-old Kazmir wasn't nearly as effective for the Astros as he was for the A's, going 2-6 with a 4.17 ERA in 13 starts. That led some to wonder whether manager A.J. Hinch would be confident enough in Kazmir to send him to the mound for Game 2.
"He's had three games against the Royals this year. He's done very well in all three of those games," Hinch said, alluding to Kazmir's 1-1 record and 2.11 ERA against Kansas City.
"It factors in a little bit in the decision-making," Hinch said. "He's comfortable in this ballpark. Maybe he likes the mound."
Mike Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain combined to go 1 for 17 against Kazmir in 2015.
The fact that Kazmir will be facing Cueto is surprising on two fronts.
Royals general manager Dayton Moore usually is reluctant to make deals for rental players headed toward free agency. The small-market club is built through the amateur draft and developing its players, so by shipping a trio of left-handed pitchers to Cincinnati for Cueto, Moore was making a rare gamble with the future to win in the present.
In addition, Cueto posted a 9.57 ERA in losing five straight starts between Aug. 21-Sept. 13. He is 2-1 with a 3.24 ERA in four outings since.
"Johnny's last four or five starts have been really, really good," manager Ned Yost said, "and we look forward to having him have another really good one tomorrow night."
The Houston hitter Cueto has faced the most is Colby Rasmus, who is 9 for 27 with a homer in this matchup. Rasmus has delivered solo homers in each game in the postseason and has six home runs and 11 RBIs in his last nine contests. He has tied a major league record by getting an extra-base hit in his first five playoff games.
George Springer also homered Thursday and Jose Altuve added three hits for Houston, which has received six scoreless innings of two-hit ball from its bullpen in the playoffs.
Springer is 8 for 15 with three homers, six RBIs and nine runs scored in four career games at Kansas City.
"Sometimes guys see the ball better in one park over another," Hinch said. "They don't pitch Springer any differently than a lot of teams do."
The only offense by Kansas City was provided by Kendrys Morales' two homers. He's the third player in Royals history with a multihomer effort in the postseason, joining George Brett and Willie Aikens.
The Royals had only four singles outside of Morales, who is 2 for 9 this year off Kazmir.
"It's a five-game series," Yost said. "It's not a death sentence to lose Game 1."
Kansas City, though, realizes how critical Friday is since Keuchel is set to pitch Game 3 on Sunday at home, where he is 15-0 with a 1.46 ERA.
"You look at Keuchel's numbers at home, they're really impressive," Yost said. "Tomorrow will be a big game for us, yeah."
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| | Last Updated: 4/20/2024 2:13:35 AM EST. |
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