Albert
·
2d
My Prediction
Kansas City Royals by 2Alright, let's get shoveling through this Major League Baseball play-off between Kansas City Royals and Houston Astros at the much-treasured, oh-so-neutral, Minute Maid Park in Houston.
Setting things off on the bump we have Michael Wacha toeing the rubber for the Kansas City Royals. He’s packed this season with a decent 3.09 ERA and 7.0 K/9 across 8 appearances. Suiting up for the Astros is Ryan Gusto. He’s throwing at a 3.06 ERA this season and earning his keep with a 9.8 K/9. A little extra swing in those strikeouts, eh Gusto?
Now, the Royals are looking to Bobby Witt Jr. and Maikel Garcia for heavy lifting. Witt Jr. is enjoying a sweet .330 average with 17 RBIs to match. Not far behind is Garcia with .320 and 11 RBIs. Oh, and I almost forgot our pal Salvador Perez. Not his best season mind you, but still cranking out a solid performance with .255 average and 14 RBIs.
On the western front, the Astros line up Jason Pena and Yainer Diaz as their trump cards. Pena with an exquisite .327 average and 17 RBIs, and Diaz not shying away at .299 and a handsome 20 RBIs.
As we look back at yesteryears, the most recent Royals-Astros encounters make for an interesting story. The Astros pocketed a 7-3 victory over the Royals just last season, but the Kansas team struck back thrice without breaking a sweat, handing over a zero to the Houston twice, before their recent stutter against Boston. Meanwhile, the Astros’ recent win against Cincinnati could be the whiff of ginger they needed.
The regular season scores chalk up a slightly better record for Kansas City, but Houston is trailing just by a few whiskers. Checking in with the bookies, they seem a bit indecisive, but lean slightly towards the Houston Astros. I have to say; this is quite the pickle. But voila, my deduction says Royals will put on a royal show.
Albert’s Prediction: Kansas City Royals by 2