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HOUSTON — n Astros right-hander Justin Verlander http://www.bravesfanproshop.com/authentic-nick-markakis-jersey , who many seasons ago assumed the responsibility bestowed upon a staff ace.Verlander (2-0, 3.18 ERA this postseason) will make his second start of the American League Championship Series on Thursday at Minute Maid Park in Game 5 against the Boston Red Sox. He is charged with logging another effective outing — that is the baseline requirement. Of greater importance is his role relative to the Astros’ hopes for repeating as World Series champions. With Houston trailing the best-of-seven series 3-1 and facing elimination, that responsibility is significant, but the series standing doesn’t weigh on Verlander or alter his preparation for his start.Article continues below ...“I don’t know,” Verlander said. “I mean, these are all must-win games at this point. Every time you take the mound I don’t think there’s any difference whether it’s 2-2 or 3-1.”In the Astros’ 7-2 victory in Game 1, Verlander limited the Red Sox to two runs on two hits. But he issued four walks and uncorked a critical wild pitch that enabled Boston to tie the score at 2-all. Verlander labored a bit over his six innings, and while he recorded six strikeouts, he only managed seven swing-and-miss strikes over his 90 pitches. He was solid but unspectacular, and the second matchup against the Red Sox is a sure bet for another tough task.“Especially these guys, a team that’s really good at making adjustments, making adjustments quickly,” said Verlander Julio Teheran Jersey , who is 3-1 with a 2.61 ERA over four career postseason appearances against Boston. “There are definitely unique challenges. They know my strengths. They know my weaknesses. I know theirs.“And the second time going against a lineup, you need to adjust. Or you don’t. I don’t know. That’s kind of one of those times when I like to rely on my instincts when I’m out there and just feel my way through a game.”The Red Sox will counter with left-hander David Price (0-1, 9.95 ERA over two starts this postseason) in pursuit of their first AL pennant since 2013. Price remains winless over 11 career postseason starts (0-9, 6.16 ERA) having not factored into the decision in Game 2 after allowing four runs on five hits and four walks over 4 2/3 innings. However, with their 7-5 win, the Red Sox became the first team to claim victory in a postseason start made by Price.Price warmed up in the bullpen during the eighth inning on Wednesday, poised to bail out closer Craig Kimbrel if need be. Kimbrel scuffled, allowing a run on two hits and three walks over two innings but held fast and sealed the 8-6 victory that gave Boston a commanding series lead.“We know we’re up 3-1,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “But they’re a good team. They came back last year against the Yankees. They lost Game 6 of the World Series in Dodger Stadium and they won Game 7.“It’s not over. We know that. But to have a chance to finish (Thursday); that’s always good. We’re just going to show up (Thursday), get the information, play hard, and see what happens.” Like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito, these Twins could be a force."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Royals Trade Rumors & Hot StoveRoyals Minor Leagues & ProspectsRoyals Review ClassicRoyals Review Users GuideThe 100 Greatest Royals Of All Time2019 Series PreviewsMinnesota Twins Series Preview: The grind beginsNew http://www.bravesfanproshop.com/authentic-nick-markakis-jersey ,9commentsLike Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito, these Twins could be a force.EDTShareTweetShareShareMinnesota Twins Series Preview: The grind beginsSep 14, 2018; Kansas City, MO, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Jose Berrios (17) delivers a pitch against the Kansas City Royals during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken/USA TODAY SportsPeter G. AikenThe opening homestand continues with the first visit of the year from the Minnesota Twins for a two-game set. The Twins had a really solid offseason, adding talent pretty much everywhere and hope to be the beneficiaries of the Indians declining their option to get better this offseason (and having some injuries) along with the general malaise that is the American League Central. In Nelson Cruz, CJ Cron, Jonathan Schoop and Marwin Gonzalez, they added some pop and hope to get a big rebound from Byron Buxton. If Jose Berrios can take the jump (and I picked him as my AL Cy Young), they might have a shot to win the Central. Meet the TwinsRoyals vs. Twins - 2018 EditionCategoryRoyalsTwinsCategoryRoyalsTwinsTwins Projected Lineup - 2018 StatsPlayerPosPAAVGOBPSLGBB%K%wRC+fWARPlayerPosPAAVGOBPSLGBB%K%wRC+fWARTwins Projected Bench - 2018 StatsPlayerPosPAAVGOBPSLGBB%K%wRC+fWARPlayerPosPAAVGOBPSLGBB%K%wRC+fWARTwins Key Relievers - 2018 StatsPitcherGIPWLK%BB%ERAxFIPWARPitcherGIPWLK%BB%ERAxFIPWARProbable Pitching MatchupsTuesday, April 2nd - 7:15pmPitcherGIPWLK%BB%ERAxFIPWARPitcherGIPWLK%BB%ERAxFIPWAROff days early in the season allow teams to do some fun things with their pitching staffs, so the Twins can bring back Jose Berrios for his second start in their first four games. Berrios was outstanding against the Indians on Opening Day, allowing basically nothing David Justice Jersey , just two hits and a walk over 7.2 innings. He struck out 10 and looked absolutely dominant, making my above noted Cy Young pick seem smart after one day. While he’s been very good, I think it’s fair to say the stuff hasn’t matched the results early in his career as he’s been firmly above average in his first two full seasons, but not yet great. His curve is the moneymaker, and I think if it’s on that he might cause some problems for two of the Royals biggest forces, Jorge Soler and Adalberto Mondesi. He got five of his 10 strikeouts with that curve on Thursday. Keller was almost as good as Berrios, trailing him in innings by 2/3 of a frame and in strikeouts by five, but matched the hits and walks. Their games are obviously very different, but both had fantastic first impressions. He had 10 whiffs in his start against the White Sox (thanks Eloy!) and seven of them came on his slider. That’s obviously a very important pitch for him. Yes, ground balls are his game, but look up at the strikeout numbers from the Twins bats. A good chunk of that lineup will swing and miss if you give them the opportunity. Keller had his first start against the Twins last year and then pitched very well against them in his only other outing against them, actually striking out 11 in his 10 innings of work. This is a different Twins offense with a lot of new additions, but the gameplan should be the same for him as last year.Wednesday http://www.bravesfanproshop.com/authentic-nick-markakis-jersey , April 3rd - 12:15pmPitcherGIPWLK%BB%ERAxFIPWARPitcherGIPWLK%BB%ERAxFIPWARGibson contracted E. coli on a charity trip to the Dominican Republic and Haiti in the offseason, so he had a bit of a late start to his spring and was held back a couple days in Florida to get ready for his season, but he appears to be close to his listed weight and is ready to go. The noted Royals killer (it’s actually not as crazy as you’d think; he’s 7-5 with a 3.59 ERA in 18 starts) bounced back from two straight subpar seasons to look as good as ever in 2018, adding strikeouts and keeping walks fairly close to previous seasons. He still gets a decent number of ground balls and limits home runs well enough, but a change in the way he threw his slider last year led to some extra swings and misses and has made his success a wee bit more sustainable. Homer Bailey has two career no-hitters and is in the middle of a six year deal worth $105 million. He’s also coming off his third straight season with a an ERA above 6.00 and went 1-14 in 2018. I know win-loss record doesn’t mean much, but when it’s that extreme, it has some meaning at the very least. Bailey was actually okay in spring and was at his best in his last outing, so the Royals have some hope that maybe he can find the form that allowed him to be at least average in 2014, but that was five years ago at this point and that seems unlikely. So here’s to the Homer Bailey era, I guess. PredictionThe Twins are the better team, a borderline playoff team and they get to go with their top two starters against the Royals because Gibson’s season debut was delayed by a few days due to his spring bout with E. coli. I think the Twins offense will be too much for the Royals, but they’ll be lucky and get out of this with a split of the two games.