Game one of the ALCS is tonight in Baltimore where the Orioles and Royals begin the last leg of their hunt for a World Series berth. But, why should you care?
First of all, they aren’t the Yankees or Red Sox so they have that going for them. Both are small market teams that have been very bad for a very long time. So, if you are a fan of underdogs then this is the series for you. Neither team has won a World Series since the 1980s – Baltimore in ’83 and Kansas City in ’85. The Royals haven’t been to the playoffs since while the Orioles have just three postseason appearances in the intervening years. This is a matchup of two good, hungry teams with fan bases that are about to go absolutely bonkers.
While Baltimore and Kansas City are two great teams they are constructed very differently and took equally contrasting roads to get to this point. The Orioles mashed all year long and led all of Major League Baseball with 211 regular season homeruns. The Royals…well, they were dead last with just 95 homers. Baltimore cruised to an AL East title as if nobody else in the division wanted it and Detroit didn’t really put up a fight against them in the ALDS. Kansas City grinded through a tight race in the regular season with Detroit and eventually settled for one of the Wild Card spots. They won their Wild Card game by overcoming a four run deficit and walked off as winners in the 12th inning. The drama continued for the Royals in the ALDS with more extra inning games where they swept the AL favorite, LA Angels.
What should we expect in the upcoming series? More of the same. The Orioles will continue to rely on the long ball and out slugging their opponent. Their lineup is far superior to that of KC’s. Adam Jones is an all around great player that can do it all on the field. Nelson Cruz was everything that Baltimore hoped for and more as he destroyed home runs all year. They don’t make stadiums too big for him. Then there’s Nick Markakis who had a solid year and Steve Pearce who came out of nowhere to have a really good season at the plate. By contrast, the Royals will play small ball, use their speed and play lights out defense. The Royals also have a good rotation, led by ‘Big Game’ James Shields, which will have the tough task of neutralizing the powerful Baltimore offense. Both teams have good pitching staffs with the Orioles and Royals finishing third and fourth in league ERA respectively.
The bullpens might be the deciding factor in this series. Both teams have good bullpens with power arms. But, who doesn’t these days? The Royals will rely on Wade Davis, Kelvin Herrera and rookie, Brandon Finnegan to continue their good work. Baltimore has former starters Andrew Miller, Tommy Hunter and Zach Britton to try to keep games close late. Baltimore was able to hit well against relievers all year with a 112 OPS+. The Royals didn’t have the same success but were able to grind out wins by getting on base, stealing bags and pushing runs across. They hit only .198 against the Angels and swept the series.
While this is not a marquee matchup of big name teams with superstars, there is a lot to like about both clubs. If nothing else, it’s great to see some new faces on the big stage. Even non-fans should enjoy seeing an underdog make it to the World Series this year.
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*Featured image credit: Charlie Riedel/AP
