ALDS Game Five Overflow I: Houston Astros vs. Kansas City Royals

After quiet halves of the first inning for both squads, Evan Gattis managed a two-out infield single (enabled by an offline throw to Hosmer that brought him off the bag) for the first hit of the night. The second came immediately thereafter, when Luis Valbuena sent a fastball in the lower-inside quadrant of the strike zone into the bullpen in right field to put the Astros up 2 - 0.

The Royals did similarly little against Astros' starter Collin McHugh in the second inning, flying out harmlessly three times, though Morales did send his fly ball to the wall.

Johnny Cueto retired the first five before yielding the single and dong, and then retired the next four in order.

Salvador Perez led the third off swinging at the first pitch, singling to center, but for the second straight time that the Royals got a runner aboard, that runner was erased by way of the double play. Rios rifled an infield single through McHugh's legs to avoid sending the minimum to the plate for each of the first three innings, but

Facing the soft-tossing McHugh, the Royals have only seen 30 pitches through three innings.

The Royals still trail 2 - 0 heading into the top of the fourth in this decisive game