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Kansas City Royals: Chris Young To Start Game 4

By Leigh Oleszczak

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The Kansas City Royals have named their starting pitcher for Game 4 of the ALCS in Toronto, and that guy will be Chris Young.

Ned Yost announced on Sunday that Chris Young would be taking the mound in Game 4 over Kris Medlen, which shouldn’t be surprising in the least bit to Royals fans.

Many say that Young might not be the best choice due to his love for giving up fly balls, but Medlen hasn’t pitched since October 1st. It would have been almost three weeks since Medlen had taken the mound, and that’s simply not a risk Yost and the Royals wanted to take in such a high-pressure series.

Young impressed greatly during Game 1 of the ALDS when Yordano Ventura was pulled after two innings due to a long rain delay. Young went out and pitched four innings of relief, allowing three hits and one run during that span. He struck out seven batters and walked two guys. He looked pretty dang good.

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No one was surprised by Young’s performance in Game 1, as he was a heavily relied upon member of the Royals rotation during the regular season.

Young was put into the rotation when injuries occurred to Ventura and Danny Duffy. He then was removed from the rotation when he started struggling and giving up more home runs.

The Kansas City Royals currently hold a 2-0 series advantage over the Toronto Blue Jays, but it hasn’t come easy.

The Blue Jays led in Game 2 at Kauffman Stadium through six innings, but the Royals battled back and eventually figured out David Price, who had retired 18 batters in a row and was dealing at the K.

Johnny Cueto will take the mound against the Blue Jays on Monday against Marcus Stroman, which should be a good pitching battle. Cueto was dominant in Game 5 of the ALDS and pitched the Royals right into the ALCS.

I honestly thought Yost would go with Kris Medlen to start Game Four, but it makes sense to have Young be the starter as well. Young pitched well in relief for Ventura, and as mentioned above, Medlen hasn’t pitched since the beginning of the month.

Chris Young finished the 2015 regular season with a 3.06 ERA and 11-6 record in 18 starts and 34 games total. Young pitched 123.1 innings and gave up 16 home runs during that span.

Young will have his work cut out against the Blue Jays, but this is yet another time for the veteran to prove that he’s still a good starting pitcher in the majors.

Next: Ten Best Games During Regular Season

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