On one hand, the Kansas City Royals have to be really worried about Game 6 of the ALCS. They've already lost Game 5 of this series and could end up facing a do-or-die on Saturday if they lose on Friday. On the other hand, David Price has never won a postseason game in which he started in any of his stops along the way, and the Toronto Blue Jays have to feel like they still have a massive mountain left to climb.
PITCHING MATCHUP
The narrative of Price has been stated over and over again. He's 1-6 in the playoffs in his career, and that one win came in relief against the Rangers when he allowed three runs in three innings and just happened to be the pitcher of record.
There are a lot of positives here for Price that live bettors should take note of. He hasn't walked a batter in nine innings of work, and though he has conceded eight runs, his bullpen hasn't help his case any allowing inherited runners to score. The lefty also averaged just 14.4 pitches per inning against KC earlier in this series, and if he does that again, he'll be tough to take out of this game.
Statistically speaking, there's not a lot for live bettors to love about Yordano Ventura either. He has allowed three runs in each of his three appearances in the playoffs this year, and a 4.08 regular season ERA won't spark confidence either.
That said, there's one intangible that Ventura has that can't be measured by ERA. He's got that "It" factor. That factor was on display last year in Game 6 of the World Series in a must-win game at home against the Giants, and one has to wonder if he can get through this Toronto offense the first time, if he can roll to his first quality start in four tries in the playoffs.
ADVANCED STATS
The Blue Jays aren't getting badly outhit in this series as it seems. Yes, Kansas City has managed 50 hits in five games, far better than the 39 for the Blue Jays, but Toronto has had its opportunities and just hasn't cashed in. The Jays stranded 11 men on base in Game 5 of this series and still scored seven runs, but this really is nothing new. At least one man in the heart of this order has stranded at least three runners in every game in this series.
Toronto has had its big boppers up in important spots, and though Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Chris Colabello haven't been silent, they've left a lot of great chances to score on the table. If they keep getting chances, at some point, they'll strike in a huge way.
TALKING BULLPENS
The Blue Jays are badly outmanned right now in their bullpen. They just don't have the studs to get through the middle parts of games if their starter doesn't get deep in. That's why there's a ton of pressure on Price to keep pitching even if he's at the end of his rope.
The Kansas City bullpen continues to be virtually flawless. Wade Davis and Luke Hochevar have combined for 10.2 scoreless innings, and they've only allowed a total of eight men to reach base against them. Kelvin Herrera has four spotless frames and eight strikeouts in four appearances in this series, too.
Clearly, Ned Yost has a lot of confidence in his side, and relatively light usage parlayed with the day off leaves all of his bullets in his gun for this one. Even if Ventura doesn't have his best stuff, if Yost elects to go to his pen early, live bettors could still have a say about the final result.
The MLB lines for this Friday contest were first released by BookMaker Sportsbook. The Toronto Blue Jays were lined at -140 favorites along with a total of 7. Gamble on the game between every half inning with BookMaker's live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen in the next at-bat or how many runs will be scored in the next inning. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Need to fund your account before the big game but don't have your computer? No problem! BookMaker Sportsbook now offers a mobile betting cashier so you can deposit money directly from your smartphone. Don't miss out on getting paid because you couldn't bet. Click here, and deposit at BookMaker now! Game 6 of the ALCS pitting the Toronto Blue Jays versus the Kansas City Royals will commence Friday, October 23, 2015 at 8:05 p.m. ET at Kauffman Stadium. You can watch the contest live on FOX Sports 1.
