An early lead, insurance home runs and shutdown pitching from the bullpen after a solid effort from the starting pitcher made for the perfect formula for the Houston Astros to seize a 1-0 advantage over the Kansas City Royals in the American League Division Series with a 5-2 win in Game 1.
Collin McHugh fought through a 47-minute rain delay and pitched six innings of two-run ball Thursday. The Royals failed to put anything together against McHugh, other than two solo homers from Kendrys Morales, and the Houston bullpen did the rest of the work with three shutout innings.
Colby Rasmus and George Springer each hit a long ball for the victorious Astros, and Jose Altuve set the table with three hits, a run scored and an RBI at the top of the lineup.
ESPN Stats & Info noted this is the first time in the wild-card era (since 1995) that road teams have started the playoffs with four straight wins.
The Astros wasted little time playing road spoilers and silencing the raucous Kauffman Stadium crowd when they pushed two runs across in the first inning. Altuve started it with a single and eventually scored on a Rasmus groundout. Evan Gattis made it 2-0 with an RBI groundout of his own, and ESPN Stats & Info noted it was the first time since June 6 that Yordano Ventura had allowed multiple runs in the first inning.
ESPN Stats & Info also highlighted why falling behind early was not ideal for Kansas City:
Altuve extended the lead to 3-0 with an RBI single in the top of the second, but the Royals received a solo home run from Morales in the bottom half to get on the board. Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle pointed out that things were not going according to script:
A lengthy rain delay forced Kansas City to remove the struggling Ventura after he pitched two innings and allowed three runs and four hits. Chris Young took over and proceeded to strike out six batters in his first two innings of work. Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star described the incredible turnaround for the pitcher:
According to the team, Young set a Royals postseason record for strikeouts by a bullpen pitcher after he struck out the side in two straight innings (Young ended up with seven strikeouts in four innings).
Kansas City kept the momentum rolling in the bottom of the fourth with another solo homer from Morales, making it 3-2. Sports Illustrated highlighted the fact that he was single-handedly keeping his team's offense in the game:
Baseball Tonight pointed out the slugger found himself among impressive company:
Springer ended Kansas City's spurt with a solo homer of his own in the top of the fifth. Ortiz noted it was business as usual for Springer, who has three long balls in his last four games at Kauffman Stadium.
McHugh finally got the best of Morales in the bottom of the sixth, when he notched a 1-2-3 inning and held on to the 4-2 lead heading into the final three frames. Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com took note of the starter's ability to keep it rolling late in the game against Kansas City's top hitters:
McHugh handed the ball to the bullpen in the seventh inning, and Tony Sipp retired the side in order. While Sipp did his job, Matt Lanza, a contributor to the Houston Chronicle and other publications, praised McHugh's performance in the face of a weather delay and a strong Royals lineup:
The Astros received another boost in the top of the eighth, when Rasmus hit his second home run in as many games to stretch the lead to 5-2. Brian McTaggart of MLB.com and Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle pointed out it was nothing new for the outfielder:
Kansas City threatened in the bottom half of the eighth with two on and two outs for Eric Hosmer, but Oliver Perez induced a weak pop out to end the inning. Sports Illustrated noted Perez's job is to get out difficult left-handers like Hosmer in those situations:
Luke Gregerson came in for the save and added some drama when he hit Mike Moustakas with a pitch, but he shut the door without allowing a base hit. Just like that, the Astros notched a 5-2 victory and stole home-field advantage in front of the Kansas City fans.
What's Next?
Game 2 of the series will take place Friday in Kansas City, and it is a must-win for the Royals if they hope to avoid falling behind by two games before even traveling to Houston. As for the Astros, the pressure is off because the worst they can do is split on the road.
McCullough pointed out how critical Game 2 will be for Kansas City:
Scott Kazmir will start for the Astros, while Johnny Cueto will toe the rubber for the Royals.
Kazmir started the season with the Oakland Athletics and was more effective there than he has been since Houston traded for him at the July deadline. Kazmir posted a 2.38 ERA in Oakland, compared to his 4.17 ERA with the Astros, and he has won only two of 13 starts since the trade.
Like Kazmir, Cueto was better on his previous team than his current one this season. He started 2015 with the Cincinnati Reds and tallied a 2.62 ERA, but he turned in a disappointing 4.76 ERA in Kansas City after the Royals acquired him by trade July 26.
While the recent results are discouraging, both have proved throughout their careers that they are better than what fans saw down the stretch. Whichever starter reverts back to his old form and dictates the tempo of the game will likely come away with the critical postseason victory.
PostGame Reaction
One key to the game was McHugh's ability to remain in as the starting pitcher despite the rain delay.
McHugh recognized how important it was that he continue to pitch and discussed what he did during the break, per Jeffrey Flanagan and McTaggart of MLB.com: "I never sat down. So I got in the clubhouse, and I think I was making people nervous because I was pacing around the whole time. I threw some heat on my arm and pretty much just paced and made sure I wasn't going to let myself get tight."
Another turning point happened after Springer answered Morales' second homer with a long ball of his own. It silenced the crowd and gave the Houston pitchers some much-needed insurance. Springer reflected on his critical moment, per Flanagan and McTaggart: "I was happy to kind of extend our lead some. I mean, obviously, they had just hit another homer...and we're kind of needing something right there. Jose [Altuve] got thrown out on a stolen base. So it was just I was glad to kind of extend our lead there and help the team."
Despite the difficult loss at home, Kansas City manager Ned Yost was not ready to give up on the series, per McCullough: "It's not a death sentence to lose Game 1."
That is true, but it will be a death sentence if the Royals cannot find a way to win in the next couple of contests. Catcher Salvador Perez suggested as much, per Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star: "Yeah, we have to win tomorrow. We have to win Sunday in Houston. We have to win."
The Royals will get their chance to even up the series Friday.
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