Both the Kansas City Royals and the Houston Astros feel like they have always been perennial doormats in baseball. Kansas City went from 2004 through 2013 without winning more than 75 games in a season. Houston averaged winning 58 games a year from 2011 through 2014. Now all of a sudden, these two teams are both in the playoffs and are starting off a postseason series on Thursday at Kauffman Stadium which is enthralling baseball enthusiasts.
PITCHING MATCHUP
The Astros still haven't made an official announcement regarding their rotation for the ALDS, but all signs point to Collin McHugh getting the ball for his first postseason start in Game 1 of this series.
Many are going to remember that Dallas Keuchel won 20 games this year en route to what will surely be an AL Cy Young Award, but none will remember that McHugh won 19 games and posted a rock solid 3.89 ERA.
The righty wasn't quite as dominant as Keuchel, nor did he ever finish a game he started, but 171 strikeouts over 203.2 innings and a 1.10 WHIP are pretty darn special stats, ones which have to be worrying Ned Yost and the Royals' hitters.
Even though Johnny Cueto was brought here to KC to be the starter in games like this, Yost is going to ride the hot hand with Yordano Ventura in Game 1.
Over the course of his last two starts, both of which were pivotal on the road, Ventura allowed a total of just six hits and one run over 14 innings of work, striking out 17 men in the process.
Ventura was awfully good in the postseason last year, too, the best of which was when he threw seven shutout innings in a must-win Game 6 in the World Series.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"For us, the last two weeks, three weeks, all three of those guys have been throwing the ball good. Ventura has been excellent in his last six, seven starts. And we wanted to keep everybody on five days' rest. We thought that would work out best for us." – Royals manager Ned Yost on why he has chosen Ventura to start Game 1 of the ALDS
PROP TALK
The Astros have a history of being either boom or bust. They either score 21 runs like they did against Arizona, or they struggle mightily to manufacture runs. Jose Altuve is the key to this offense, though. He only went 1-for-4 against the Yankees in the Wild Card game, but he helped generate that crucial third run which ultimately took the last bit of life out of the Bronx Bombers.
He'll get four shots at KC pitchers for sure, and if he gets onboard, he's always a threat to be off and running, making him a great choice for prop bets across the board.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Both of these teams did things the right way. Last season, the Royals were the team du jour, the one which probably arrived a year or two early, and it won eight straight playoff games to reach the World Series. Now, the Astros are that same club which built through their farm system to ultimately reach the second season.
The way things are going for Houston right now almost makes it feel like destiny to get this series off on the right foot. McHugh has never been here before, but we think that he'll get off to a great start and follow right in the footsteps of Keuchel from his opening postseason offering in the Bronx on Tuesday, and another under game is very likely going to be the result as well.
Houston 3, Kansas City 1
BookMaker will send out the baseball odds for this marquee matchup before any other sportsbook. Since this game can be seen by anyone with a TV, BookMaker will have a multitude of wagering options available for it. Outside of the normal lines, you can gamble on real-time moneylines, player props and inning totals. MLB live betting is open during every commercial break!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker's live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so start betting with BookMaker today! Game 1 of the series between the Houston Astros and the Kansas City Royals will take place Thursday, October 8, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Kauffman Stadium. You can watch the contest live on FOX Sports 1.
