Powerful Astros win rain-soaked opener
The Houston Astros came into their ALDS opener against the Kansas City Royals riding high after blanking the New York Yankees 3-0 in Tuesday's wild-card game, and they once again used the long ball to pound their opponent into submission Thursday and draw first blood in the best-of-five series.
George Springer and Colby Rasmus hit solo home runs and Collin McHugh turned in six solid innings, as the Astros bested the Royals 5-2 on a rainy night at Kauffman Stadium.
Top Performer: Royals designated hitter Kendrys Morales hit a pair of solo home runs - both off McHugh - in a losing cause. He became only the third player in Royals history to enjoy a multi-homer playoff game, joining George Brett and Willie Aikens.
Starting Pitchers: Yordano Ventura's outing was cut short due to a 48-minute rain delay in the third inning, and he was replaced by veteran righty Chris Young after two shaky frames. McHugh elected to remain in the game despite the delay, and threw six strong innings to earn his first career postseason win.
| PITCHER | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McHugh | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Ventura | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
Turning Point: After Morales launched his second homer to trim Houston's lead to 3-2, Springer unloaded on a Young offering in the fifth inning for his first career postseason homer. The solo shot killed the Royals' momentum, and they'd never again get within a run. Colby Rasmus padded the lead with a solo blast of his own in the eighth, his second homer in as many postseason games, pushing Houston's advantage to 5-2.
Up Next: The Astros will attempt to take a commanding 2-0 series lead when they hand the ball to southpaw Scott Kazmir in Game 2 on Friday afternoon. Kansas City will counter with righty Johnny Cueto, with the hopes of earning a split before the scene shifts to Houston for Game 3.