Johnny Cueto in fine form as Royals top Astros, head to ALCS

Third baseman Mike Moustakas said they had one more series left to win. Game 1 of the ALCS will begin Friday night at Kaufmann Stadium. Cueto gave up a two-run home run to Luis Valbuena as the Royals fell into an early hole and then started a dominating run. It was the only mistake Cueto made.

“Johnny Cueto was unbelievable”, Royals manager Ned Yost said.

A deflected throw back to the mound by Toronto catcher Russell Martin allowed Texas to score the tiebreaking run in the seventh inning, touching off a long delay and causing the Blue Jays to play Game 5 of the AL…

The Royals trailed the Astros 2-1 in the fifth when Alex Rios led another comeback with a go-ahead, two-run double. Instead, Fiers faced Rios and allowed a two-run double that gave the Royals a lead they would not relinquish.

While Cueto was brought in to be the staff ace, he was disappointing until Wednesday.

With the season on the line, however, he changed back into the player Kansas City hoped he would be.

“We have been waiting for that kind of pitching performance”, Morales said. “There was no doubt there was a few talk out there that what is wrong with Johnny Cueto, but today was the game that I was going to show everybody what I’m all about in big games. And that’s what (I) did”. He became the sixth Astro to homer in the postseason. He was 0-2 with a 5.52 ERA in his four previous playoff starts.

“He didn’t make a bad pitch all night”, Yost said. “He’s one of the top free agents on the market”.

Volquez (1-1) ramped up his fastball to 97 miles per hour to slice through a potent Blue Jays offense, never allowing a runner past second base over six innings.

The fans packed in the Power & Light District already had wound themselves up and screamed themselves hoarse through almost eight innings Wednesday night, but when Kendrys Morales hit that three-run homer, they went bonkers.

“I don’t look into the advance numbers and stuff like that”, he said. A carryover from last season’s deep run, if you will. They believe in themselves and have the talent to justify said belief. “The third one I didn’t miss”.

Following a bunt, Zobrist’s sacrifice fly made it 4-2.

The left-hander also wasn’t effective in relief in Game 4 on Monday, yielding three runs in three innings though he got credit for an 8-4 road victory. “We got back here and now we’ve got more business to take care of”. It was down and he put a good swing on it. He was better than me that at-bat. Cueto was good enough on his own.

When Wade Davis breezed through the ninth, the Royals could celebrate.

Nothing, actually, after the second inning.

That proved costly. On the next pitch, Valbuena drove a 94 miles per hour pitch from Cueto into the Astros’ bullpen, making it 2-0.

It wasn’t until the fourth that Kansas City got a run back, on back-to-back singles by Cain and Hosmer. With the count full, Cain was running on a pitch from right-hander Colin McHugh (1-1) to Hosmer, who blooped it into shallow center. Starter Collin McHugh had struck out just two Royals in 10-plus innings in this series, so Hinch decided he needed to go to his bullpen in that spot.

Salvador Perez homered and Alcides Escobar doubled twice and scored twice for the Royals, who have scored 19 runs in their last 18 innings at the plate.

“The good version of Johnny Cueto is really tough”, Houston manager A.J.

Price went 1-0 with a 2.93 ERA in two May starts against the Royals with Detroit.

“It hurts”, Astros right fielder George Springer said. I think we all did. He went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts. Carlos Correa and Colby Rasmus crushed the ball the rest of the postseason before combining to go 0-for-6 Wednesday, night with Rasmus striking out three times. Commissioner Rob Manfred was on hand for the game….

The Kansas City Royals headed into a decisive game five against the Houston Astros. Eric Hosmer, whose father Mike was a firefighter for 29 years in Miami, met with the families of the fallen firefighters before the game.