The reward for the Royals sweep of Chicago is a 4th post season match up against the Houston Astros. The Astros won 103 games on their way to the AL West and are making their first Divisional Series since 2035, when they eliminated the Royals 4-1 before losing the World Series to the Padres.
The NL Championship Series features the Dodgers (who make an unsurprising return although possibly the 3-2 margin of victory over the Marlins was a surprise) and the Reds, who finished 3rd in the NL Central but are now 4 wins away from the World Series.
The Astros will be hoping for a repeat of the 2035 Championship Series and will be doing so with a balanced ballclub that 2nd in runs scored and 3rd in runs against in the AL. Their batting line up is intimidating, led off by SS Kevin Barlow, with a .286 average, followed by a middle of LF Mike Thomas (.322, 105 RBIs) former Royal 3B Mike Campney, CF Wilfredo Terrazas (28 HRs, 108 RBIs), and 1B Juan Moreno (30 HRs, 102 RBIs).
Their ace, Julio Barrera will miss the series but they will be able to call on Jeremy Cline (3.00 ERA), Bobby McPhee (3.60), and Jon Elfstrom (3.46). In the bullpen, only left handed setup man Phil Welch managed an ERA until 3.00 but closer Tim Fields recorded 44 saves over the course of the season. An all-righty starting rotation is complemented by six lefties in the bullpen.
The Royals won the regular season series 5-2.
Game 1 in Kansas City: Dan Carrig vs. Jon Elfstrom (2040 Free Agent)
• Houston wins 3-1
• Elfstrom: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R
• Carrig: 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R
• Tim Fields (W): 2.0 IP, 1H, 0 R
• Tsuguo Abe (L): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R
• Houston HRs: Juan Moreno (2nd)
• 1-0 Houston
Game 2 in Kansas City: Eddie Baquerizo vs. Jeremy Cline (2040 Trade DET)
• Houston wins 6-2
• Cline (W): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R
• Baquerizo (L): 4.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R
• Houston HRs: Luis Rojas (2nd, 2R)
• Kansas City HRs: Gilberto Matos (9th, 2R)
• 2-0 Houston
Game 2 in Houston: Curt Bogans vs. Bobby McPhee (2040 Trade MIL)
• Houston wins 7-2
• McPhee (W): 4.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R
• Bogans (L): 3.0 IP, 9 H, 6 R
• Kansas City HRs: Edgar Mir (1st, 2R)
• Houston HRs: Nelson Aguirre (8th)
• POTG: Nelson Aguirre (HOU) 2-4, HR
• 3-0 Houston
Game 4 in Houston: Bailey Pinsmail vs. Gautier Riggan (2039 Free Agent)
• Houston wins 11-5
• Pinsmail (L): 5.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R
• Riggan (W): 6.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R
• Houston HRs: Wilfredo Terrazas (4th, 2R; 8th, 2R)
• Kansas City HRs: Mir (1st), Bob Crimi (8th)
• POTG: Mike Campney (HOU) 3-4, BB, 4 RBI
• 4-0 HOUSTON WINS
Series MVP: Terrazas (HOU) .375 2 HRs 7 RBIs
The Astros sweep out the Royals as they dominate both sides of the ball, winning the series 27-10. The Royals come up short again and a World Series looks as far away as ever for this ball club.