Johnny Cueto Pushes Royals Onto the ALCS With 7-2 Win

135. 7. 7. Final. 2

That was the pitcher Dayton Moore traded for.

Johnny Cueto gave the Royals eight rock solid innings, with his only runs coming off a misplay and a subsequent home run, to get the win in the Royals 4-2 ALDS clincher.

Cueto retired the first five Astros, before Evan Gattis reached on a misplayed ground ball by Mike Moustakas.

Luis Valbuena took Cueto’s next pitch over the right field fence to give the Astros a 2-0 lead.

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The Royals got one of those runs back in the 4th on a Eric Hosmer single, scoring Lorenzo Cain, and cutting the Astro lead down to a 2-1 spot.

Kansas City jumped right back on Astros starter Collin McHugh in the 5th, when Salvador Perez was hit by a pitch, before Alex Gordon doubled to put runners on second and third with nobody out.

After a season of struggles, Alex Rios found redemption by grounding a double down the third base line, putting the Royals up 3-2.

Alcides Escobar then bunted Rios over, who scored on a Ben Zobrist fly ball, pushing the Royals lead to 4-2.

Meanwhile, Cueto was shoving, as he retired the last 19 Astros he faced, a Royals postseason record, while striking out six in the process.

Going into the 8th inning, Wade Davis was warming up in the bullpen as the Royals prepared to protect a two-run lead.

Escobar lead off with a double, and Cain was intentionally walked before Eric Hosmer popped out to bring up Kendrys Morales with two on and two out.

He then put an exclamation point on the series, taking the Dallas Keuchel offering into the sonic slam seats, giving the Royals a 7-2 edge.

Wade Davis shut the Astros down in the 9th, fittingly ending on a fantastic running catch by the unsung Paulo Orlando, which put into the chain-link fence in right field, to end the game.

The Royals had no business winning this series.

But wouldn’t you know it, there is more baseball to be played in Kansas City.

We’ll see you Friday.

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