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(The Sports Xchange) - George Springer and Colby Rasmus homered, and Collin McHugh pitched six solid innings as the Houston Astros defeated the Kansas City Royals 5-2 Thursday night in the opener of an American League Division Series.
The defending AL champion Royals lost for the fifth time in seven meetings with the Astros this season. Last year, the Royals beat the Oakland Athletics in the AL wild-card game, then swept the Los Angeles Angels and the Baltimore Orioles before falling to the San Francisco Giants in a seven-game World Series.