The Oakland Athletics will face the Kansas City Royals to decide who advances to the next round or who goes home. The pitching matchup tonight is Jon Lester versus James Shields. This matchup is quite a pitching matchup. Both pitchers were opening day starters and are the top aces of each team.
When the Oakland Athletics decided to make a trade for Jon Lester from the Red Sox and gave up Yoenis Cespedes they did this for this reason. They did it that way they could have a chance to make the playoffs. That's exactly why Jon Lester will be starting the game for the Athletics.
It's only fitting that James Shields starts the game for the Royals. They haven't been to the postseason since 1989. James Shields is named "Big Game James" or "Complete Game James," as it seems like whenever there's a big game he's the starter. The Royals made that trade a few years ago with the Tampa Bay Rays for Shields to be the opening day starter and to start this game.
Both Shields and Lester also have experience when pitching in the post season. They both even have a World Series start. Lester has eight series played in the postseason, all series with the Boston Red Sox. Lester is better in the ALDS and World Series then the ALCS. James Shields has also pitched in the postseason, as he's pitched five times in the postseason, only getting two wins. However, that was when he was with the Rays.
James Shields has one win in one start against the Athletics, as that game was in Oakland. Jon Lester has two starts, crediting two wins versus the Royals, both of which were in Oakland. Those games are only with Lester on the Athletics.
This game is a pitchers duel. This should be a low scoring game. Expect possibly very low scoring like a one to nothing game. Both teams do have some sluggers but expect it to be low scoring. Both pitchers could easily end up with ten strikeouts each.