Kansas City at Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Angels have been an underachieving team for the previous two seasons, but they finally put everything together and had the kind of year that the talent warranted. Of the four remaining AL teams left in the playoffs, few would have included Kansas City. They fought Detroit all the way to the last game of the season, overcame a 4-run deficit late in their Wild Card game vs. Oakland, and won in extra frames last night. This is a young impressionable team that has momentum, and is starting to believe. Yordano Ventura is another impressive young starter for KC, and he has allowed 3 runs or fewer in 12 of his last 13 starts, which fits the formula for this Kansas City team. The Royals have produced for him in the 13 starts, at just shy of 5 runs per game. Matt Shoemaker has had a strong season for the Angels, but he has not pitched since September 15th, suffering from an oblique injury, and what the Angels get out of him here is certainly questionable. That tilts the odds in favor of KC for this one, and the Royals have scored for Ventura. The Royals are 10-3 to the OVER in their last 13 when following a win, and LA is 10-2 to the OVER in their last 12 vs. a team that allowed 2 runs or fewer in their previous game. I think the offenses will have to produce here, so I like the Royals' chances against a pitcher that has been dealing with an injury and has not worked in 18 days. Play Kansas City on the runline and take the OVER.