After Game 1 Loss, ALDS Game 2 Is Must-Win For Royals Against Yankees
The Kansas City Royals came into the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees with a ton of momentum after having handled the Baltimore Orioles in the Wild Card round.
They sent Michael Wacha to the mound against Gerrit Cole for the series opener. Neither starter was at their best, and Game 1 was a back-and-forth affair.
Ultimately, it was the Yankees who came out on top, defeating the Royals by a final score of 6-5, with Alex Verdugo's go-ahead single in the bottom of the eighth inning proving to be the difference.
The Royals are now down in the series, which makes Game 2 a must-win game.
The Royals are fortunate to have their ace, Cole Ragans on the mound against Carlos Rodon. The pitching matchup certainly favors the Royals as they try to even the series before it heads to Kansas City.
The Royals will likely have Seth Lugo starting Game 3 of the series, regardless of the outcome of Game 2. But they can ill afford to lose Game 2 and return home facing elimination. Having to come back and win three consecutive elimination games against the Yankees will be no easy task.
But Game 2 represents a chance for the Royals to regain some of their momentum and even steal home-field advantage away from the Yankees. The game will air on TBS and get underway at 6:38 p.m. Central Time.
We'll see if the Royals are able to rebound from their tough Game 1 loss.
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Curt Bishop is a freelance sports writer who graduated from Maryville University of St. Louis with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the field of Communication and currently writes as a contributor for various platforms covering Major League Baseball. Curt’s work includes covering trade and free agency predictions, as well as rumors and news.