Keuchel pushes Royals to brink of elimination
The Houston Astros felt pretty good about their chances of picking up a win in Game 3 of the ALDS with Dallas Keuchel on the mound, and he lived up to expectations with another dominant postseason performance.
Keuchel tossed seven innings of one-run ball, and Chris Carter went 3-for-3 with a home run and scored twice, as the Astros defeated the Kansas City Royals 4-2 on Sunday to take a commanding 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.
Teams that are up 2-1 in the Division Series are 39-10 all-time in the series.
— Brian McTaggart ⚾️ (@brianmctaggart) October 12, 2015
Top Performer: Keuchel's masterpiece was supported by some timely hitting. Jason Castro snapped an 0-for-9 postseason slump with a clutch two-run single in the fifth inning to put Houston up 2-1. Carlos Gomez, who returned to the starting lineup from an oblique injury, brought some much needed energy to the squad with an RBI single in the sixth to make it 3-1. Carter, who is known for his boom-or-bust approach at the plate, finished a triple shy of the cycle.
Starting Pitchers: There's no place like home for Keuchel. The southpaw, who entered with a flawless 15-0 record at Minute Maid Park this season, tossed a season-high 124 pitches to pick up his second win of the postseason. Royals starter Edinson Volquez, who was unbeaten in nine career starts against the Astros (6-0, 2.70 ERA), came out firing with four scoreless frames before getting into trouble in the fifth and sixth innings.
| PITCHER | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keuchel | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| Volquez | 5.2 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
Turning Point: With the Astros leading 2-1 in the top of the sixth and threatening with a runner on 3rd, Keuchel struck out Alex Gordon with his 103rd pitch to escape the jam and send the home crowd into a frenzy. Houston responded by putting up a run in each of the next two innings to give its bullpen a comfortable 4-1 lead to work with.
Up Next: The teams have a short turnaround before Game 4 at Minute Maid Park as the first pitch is scheduled to fly at 1 p.m. ET on Monday. The Royals will turn to fireballer Yordano Ventura (13-8, 4.08) on three days' rest to keep their World Series hopes alive, while Houston counters with 22-year-old righty Lance McCullers (6-7, 3.22).