Royals Take Out Angels on Hosmer's 2 Run HR in 11th

Who are these Kansas City Royals to think they can travel to LA and beat the best team in baseball?

The Angels have 2 former MLB MVPs and a Cy Young Award winner on their roster. The won 98 games during the 2014 regular season and locked up a playoff berth by the 23rd of September. The Royals counter with the likes of Salvador Perez, Norichika Aoki and Mike Moustakas. Las Vegas oddsmakers gave KC no real chance of winning this series.

In last night's game the starter for the Angels, Matt Shoemaker, game into the game with a 16-4 season record and a 3.04 ERA. Houston Street, the Angels closer, saved 41 games and had a 1.37 ERA. The Royals starter had been the reliever in the Wild Card game who gave up a three run homer to Brandon Moss that almost cost the Royals a chance to play in the ALDS.

On paper the Royals didn't have a chance. This series, on paper, was just a warmup so that the Angels could stay loose for the ALCS series against the Orioles or the Tigers.

But that's why the games are actually played. Things happen in baseball. Strange things. Some would say miraculous things. The ALDS series between the Royals and Angels in LA is one of those things.

The Royal's starters and relievers have held the hard hitting Angels to just 3 runs in 22 innings. KC beat Jared Weaver, possible Cy Young winner in 2014, in game one and Matt Shoemaker in game 2. The Royals have taken a commanding 2-0 lead in the ALDS best-of-five series.

Of all the games played so far in the MLB Playoffs, this game turned out to be the pitchers duel that most thought would come from the marquee pitchers who started each game 1.

Yordano Ventura, of the Royals, went 7 strong innings giving up 1 run on 5 hits, while Shoemaker went 6 complete allowing 1 run on 5 hits.

Eric Hosmer led off the KC second with a single and moved to second on an error by right fielder Kole Calhoun. After Billy Butler struck out, Hosmer scored on a single to center by Alex Gordon.

Ventura silenced the Angel's bats until the bottom of the 6th. Kole Calhoun singled to center with 2 outs. Mike Trout walked. Albert Pujols singled to center to drive in Calhoun and the score was tied at 1.

The pitchers duel continued until the top of the 11th. Relievers on both teams did an outstanding job of keeping their teams in the game while waiting for the offenses to get to work.

In the top of the 11th, with Kevin Jepsen on the mound for the Angels, Lorenzo Cain beat out an infield single. Eric Hosmer followed with a home run to right, scoring Cain and giving the Royals a 3-1 lead. After pinch hitter Josh Willingham popped out to second, Alex Gordon walked. Vinne Pestano relieved Jepsen. Gordon stole second and went to third on a throwing error by Angel's catcher Chris Iannetta. That error proved costly as Gordon scored on an infield single by Salvador Perez.

The Angels couldn't mount any threat against Greg Holland in the bottom of the 11th and the Royals had the victory.

These 2 teams will meet for game 3 of the ALDS on Sunday the 4th of October.

Orioles Pound Tigers 12-3, Take 1st Game of ALDS

47,842 Baltimore fans came to Camden Yards to watch their Orioles take on the Detroit Tigers with their reigning MVP and Cy Young Award winning players. Max Scherzer would start for the Tigers. Most likely Scherzer will win the Cy Young Award this year, 18-5/3.15 ERA/252K's, and Miguel Cabrera will be in the running for the MVP again with his .313/25/109 stats this season.

For 7 1/2 innings the fans watched a pretty good ballgame. The Tigers scored 3 runs on solo home runs by Victor Martinez and JD Martinez in the 2nd and Miguel Cabrera in the top of the 8th.

After a 2 run home run by Nelson Cruz gave the Orioles the lead in the bottom of the 1st, Detroit tied the game in the top of the 2nd on the home runs by Victor and JD. The O's scored a run in the bottom of the 2nd to take a 3-2 lead they would not relinquish. With 1 out, Ryan Flaherty walked and went to third when Jonathan Schoop singled one out later. Nick Markakis singled to drive in Flaherty.

The Tigers threatened in the top of the 5th. With 2 outs, back-to-back singles by Andrew Romine and Rajai Davis and a walk to Ian Kinsler loaded the bases but Torii Hunter hit into a 6-4 fielder's choice to end the inning.

The pitchers on both teams settled down until the bottom of the seventh when Scherzer threw a changeup high in the zone to JJ Hardy who jumped on the pitch and drove it 400' into left center for a home run and a 4-2 Baltimore lead.

"I've got to find a way to get the ball down," Scherzer said. "I wasn't quite able to do that tonight, and I paid for it."

Darren O'Day was pitching for the Birds in the top of the 8th. Ian Kinsler reached first on an infield single. Kinsler was doubled up when Torii Hunter lined out to short as Kinsler attempted to steal second. The Orioles caught a break here as Miguel Cabrera followed Hunter's double play with a solo home run to right center that pulled the Tigers to within a run at 4-3. The home run to Cabrera was the first home run to a right handed batter O'Day had allowed since May of 2013.

The dam burst for the Tigers in the bottom of the 8th when Baltimore sent 12 men to the plate and scored 8 runs. The O's took a commanding 12-3 lead. Every Oriole in the lineup scored but Nick Hundley. Baltimore got 6 hits, including 3 doubles in the inning. The Tigers used 4 pitchers in the inning and all of them surrendered earned runs.

The 12 runs scored by the Orioles were the most runs they have scored in the playoffs since scoring 11 runs in the 2nd game of the 1971 World Series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The odds of winning this ALDS Series now swings in favor of the Orioles as the team who wins the first game of a 5 game series has gone on to win that series 70% of the time.

These two teams will have a quick turn around as they begin the 2nd game of the ALDS at 12:07 today.

Royals Take 1st Game of ALDS on Moustakas' HR in 11th

The Kansas City Royals snatched victory from the jaws of defeat last night on great defensive plays and timely power hitting from Mike Moustakas. Norichika Aoki twice made dramatic catches at the wall to keep the Angels from scoring and give Moustakas his chance to be the hero of game one.

As in their wild card win over the Oakland Athletics, this game went into extra innings and the Royal's pitching staff, overlooked coming into this postseason, can through in the clutch.

Mike Scioscia, the Angels manager said "We had some guys in scoring position, just couldn't get that one hit, especially late. Those guys hung in there and got the big outs and got the big hit late. So we hit two home runs to keep ourselves in the game, but outside of that, we didn't really pressure those guys very much."

Read the full ESPN story here

Tigers Confident Starting Pitching Can Overcome Orioles Bats

The one thing the Detroit Tigers do not lack is confidence. They won the AL Central Division and enter the ALDS against the Eastern Division Champion Baltimore Orioles tonight in Baltimore. The Tiger's starting rotation contains the last two season's Cy Young Award winners and David Price. Price was acquired from the Rays and looks to be an integral part of the Tiger's run to the World Series.

In the Yahoo Sports article, David Price said, ''Pitching. That's what wins ballgames. If we put up zeroes early, that kind of gives our offense a chance to kind of settle into the game. They know they don't have to put up a three- or four-spot because we're down.''

Read the Yahoo Sports story here

Orioles Showalter Always One Step Ahead of the Competition

An ESPN article was written about Buck Showalter's work habits. "When Baltimore manager Buck Showalter bunkers down in his office with bench coach John Russell before a game, the main objective is to find every matchup, lineup combination or snippet of information that might give the Orioles an edge. But the depth of Showalter's inquisitiveness makes his players wonder if game preparation is the only item on his agenda."

Read the ESPN story here