The Houston Astros might just be the real deal.
The young, upstart team that no one quite believed in shutout the New York Yankees on the road in Thursday’s Wild Card game, bolstered by yet another dominant performance by Dallas Keuchel on the mound.
But now, the Atsros will be without Keuchel until at least Game 3 of the ALDS and it’ll be up to Houston’s bats (and it’s 232 home runs) to take on the Kansas City Royals.
The Royals blew through the first round of the playoffs last season and now get the added bonus of home field advantage throughout the postseason where they’re 51-30 this season. Kansas City is slated to start Yordano Ventura on Thursday night, a big-time confidence boost for the 24-year-old who faced an up-and-down regular season that even saw him briefly sent to Triple-A Omaha. But, in his seven September starts, Ventura found speed on his fastball and finished 4-1 with a 3.14 ERA.
Collin McHugh will get the start for Houston, bolstered by a 19-7 regular season record with 171 strikeouts and 3.89 ERA. The only time McHugh pitched against the Royals he didn’t allow a run, pitching seven scoreless innings and striking out nine in May 2014.
The first game of the Royals/Astros ALDS is slated for a 7:30 p.m. ET start and will be broadcast nationally on FS1. You can still watch the game without a TV too. Here’s how to catch the matchup online and on mobile:
How to Watch Astros-Royals Online
After an up-and-down regular season, Yordano Ventura is scheduled to get the start for the Kansas City Royals in the first game of the ALDS. (Getty)
If you have access to a cable subscription, you can watch the game online for free through Fox Sports GO. You’ll need the log-in and password for a cable subscription — either yours or someone else’s — to access the stream. Frequently asked questions about Fox Sports GO can be found here.
Users without a cable subscription have a variety of ways to watch online. The first is Sling TV, which is an online streaming service that provides access to a handful of channels (including TBS and ESPN) for a monthly fee. They offer a free seven-day trial.
MLB is also offering different ways to watch online. Postseason.TV costs $9.99 for the entire playoffs and allows users to watch live alternative video feeds (different from the regular TBS broadcast and with no announcers) of the game. MLB.tv also costs $9.99 for the playoffs, and it allows users who are able to authenticate a cable subscription with a log-in and password to watch the live broadcast online.
International users can watch every postseason game live online through MLB.tv for $24.99. No cable subscription is necessary.
How to Watch Astros-Royals on Mobile
Houston Astros pitcher Collin McHugh is hoping to keep his team’s shutout streak alive after notching a 3-0 victory in the AL Wild Card game. (Getty)
Mobile users can watch the game on the Fox Sports GO app, which is free to download for your Apple device, your Android or Google device, your Amazon device, and your Windows device. As is the case with the desktop live stream, you’ll need a cable log-in and password to access the stream on the app.
Users with a subscription to Sling TV can watch it on their app, which can be downloaded for free in the App store or the Google Play store.
Users with a subscription to Postseason.TV or MLB.tv can watch the game live on the MLB.com At Bat app, which is free to download from the Apple store, the Google Play store or the Amazon app store.