Kansas City Royals at Toronto Blue Jays (-140, 9.0)
Royals lead series 3-1
The Kansas City Royals attempt to win their second consecutive American League pennant when they visit the Toronto Blue Jays for Game 5 of the AL Championship Series on Wednesday afternoon. Kansas City holds a 3-1 series lead after pounding the Blue Jays 14-2 on Tuesday.
The Royals racked up four runs in the first inning and nine over the final three frames while delivering such a beating that Toronto used infielder Chad Pennington to finish the contest - the first primarily position player to pitch in the postseason. Alcides Escobar (2-for-3, four RBIs) and Lorenzo Cain (2-for-3, two RBIs) continued their strong production in the series, while Ben Zobrist and Alex Rios each homered. "We're a good offensive team," Kansas City first baseman Eric Hosmer said. "Our style of play is a little different. We like to use our legs and be athletic, but when we come to some of these parks where the fences aren't as deep, we've got some guys that can put the ball in the seats." The Blue Jays have scored 16 runs in the series, with 11 - and all three of their homers - coming in their lone victory.
TV: 4:07 p.m. ET, FS1, RSN (Toronto)
LINE HISTORY: The Blue Jays opened at -128 and have been bet up to -145. The total has remained at its opening number of 9.0.
PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals RH Edinson Volquez (1-1, 2.31 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH Marco Estrada (1-1, 3.09)
Volquez was superb in his Game 1 victory, allowing only two hits over six scoreless innings. That performance was in Kansas City and he now tries to duplicate it in Toronto, a better ballpark for hitters. "It's kind of a small ballpark and the balls just fly," Volquez said in his press conference. "It's not like you play in Kansas City, we've got a big ballpark, and the ball doesn't carry much. Here, the ball is flying everywhere."
Estrada lost against Volquez in the series opener as he allowed three runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. The Royals' penchant for being contact hitters makes it a tough assignment for Estrada, who typically doesn't strike out more than five batters in a game. "If he pitches his game and he's on, we feel pretty good," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said in a press conference. "But they're different over there, meaning it's never an easy outing for a pitcher because they battle you."
TRENDS:
* Royals are 7-1 in Volquez's last eight starts versus the American League East.
* Blue Jays are 5-2 in Estrada's last seven home starts.
* Over is 5-1 in the Royals last six games overall.
* Under is 5-0 in Estrada's last five starts versus the American League Central.
New York Mets at Chicago Cubs (-115, 9.0)
Mets lead series 3-0
The New York Mets are in position to finish off a sweep on Wednesday, when they visit the Chicago Cubs for Game 4 of the National League Championship Series. New York has limited Chicago to five runs while winning the first three games and Daniel Murphy has homered in each contest to run his postseason streak to five, tying Carlos Beltran (2004 with Houston) for the major-league record.
New York is one victory away from reaching the World Series for the first time since 2000 and will send rookie Steven Matz to the mound. None of the Mets players want to hear any chatter about this series being over, particularly captain David Wright. "Because we understand just like we've won the first three games, these guys can win the next three games very easily," Wright said after going 3-for-4 and scoring twice in Game 3. "This is an excellent team, and you give them room to win a game or streak along a couple good innings, and they're going to get all the confidence in the world and expect to beat us three in a row. So it's as simple as that." Chicago won all seven regular-season meetings with the Mets, but the duo of Kris Bryant (2-for-11) and Anthony Rizzo (2-for-10) has been quiet in the NLCS.
TV: 8:07 p.m. ET, TBS
LINE HISTORY: The Cubs have opened as -115 home favorites with the total opening at 9.0.
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets LH Steven Matz (0-1, 5.40 ERA) vs. Cubs RH Jason Hammel (0-0, 6.00)
Matz lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Division Series as he gave up three runs and six hits in five innings. That contest marked the 24-year-old's first defeat in seven major-league outings, and manager Terry Collins feels he's just beginning to reach his potential. "This guy's got plus stuff, he's got a plus fastball," Collins said at a press conference. "He's going to be 94 to 97 (miles per hour). He's got a plus curveball, he's got a good changeup. Now it's a matter of going out there every five days through the course of the season."
Hammel had a rough outing in the Division Series against St. Louis as he gave up two runs, three hits and three walks before being pulled after three innings. He denied that he felt extra pressure competing on the postseason stage during his press conference on Tuesday and was asked if this start is the biggest of his life "Of my life? Obviously, the deeper you get into the playoffs, yeah, I guess you could say that they're the most difficult in my life," Hammel said. "But honestly, I'm not really worried about that. I'm not thinking of it that way. It's the New York Mets versus the Cubs."
TRENDS:
* Mets are 7-0 in their last seven games versus the National League Central.
* Cubs are 0-6 in their last six League Championship games.
* Under is 4-0-1 in the Mets last five games overall.
* Overs is 6-1 in Hammels' last seven starts overal
