In a game in which neither starting pitcher was quite on top of their game, but runs were still tough to get, it came down to which team could grind out more runs in a tough, hard-fought game between the Houston Astros and the Kansas City Royals.
In the end, it was the Royals notching a seventh-inning score to topple the Astros 5-4 and even their American League Division Series at one game apiece.
Despite another fabulous day from outfielder Colby Rasmus, Houston didn't have enough offense and was unable to fully capitalize on a rare rough outing by Royals' ace Johnny Cueto (6 innings, 4 earned runs).
Rasmus went 2-3 with another home run and an RBI double. With his first-inning RBI double that got the Astros on the board, Rasmus became the first player in MLB history to collect extra-base hits in each of the first six games of his postseason career. Rasmus has homered three times in three 2015 playoff games, doubled four times in October play in his career, and is now hitting a robust .444 for his postseason career.
Houston got to Cueto quickly on Rasmus's RBI double in the first inning before tallying two more runs in the second frame. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases with nobody out and Houston capitalized one batter later on a two-run bloop single from George Springer, pushing Houston into a 3-0 lead.
The Royals got one run back in the second inning on a home run from their all-star catcher Salvador Perez to cut the deficit to two runs.
The teams traded runs in the third inning with Rasmus blasting a solo home run and Ben Zobrist plated a run when he grounded into a double-play in the bottom half of the inning. Both Cueto and Houston starter Scott Kazmir (5 1/3 innings, 4 earned runs) settled down and the score remained 4-2 through 5 1/2 innings.
Kansas City's Lorenzo Cain started the sixth-inning rally with a one-out double to knock Kazmir out of the game. Oliver Perez entered the game, but Eric Hosmer greeted him with a single to plate the Royals' third run of the game and cut the lead to one run. Perez then surrendered a single and a walk to load the bases and left the game in favor of Josh Fields, having not retired one man.
Fields promptly walked Salvador Perez to bring in Hosmer with the tying run. Fields avoided further damage by recording consecutive strikeouts but after six innings, the game was knotted up at 4-4.
Will Harris replaced Josh Fields and didn't fare well. Alcides Escobar tripled and mid-season acquisition Ben Zobrist drove him in with a single to give Kansas City their first lead of the night at 5-4. They handed the game over to their bullpen, one of the best in the game. Ryan Madson fired a perfect eighth inning and ace closer Wade Davis worked his way around a one-out walk by picking off pinch-runner Carlos Gomez and retiring Jose Altuve to end the game.
Kansas City and Houston will have a day off as the teams travel to Texas to continue the series in the Astros' home stadium. The pitching matchup will be Edinson Volquez (13-9, 3.55 ERA) for the Royals versus Dallas Keuchel (20-8, 2.48 ERA).
The edge in that matchup goes to Houston as Keuchel is coming off his excellent start in the wild-card game and is 15-0 at home. A win would be huge for either squad as the loser is pushed to the brink of elimination in the best of five series.