HOUSTON -- Game 3 of the American League Division Series already is being billed at as the Dallas Keuchel Game, a reality not lost on Kansas City Royals starter Edinson Volquez.
The question about pitching in Game 3 against the Houston Astros had barely been formed, and Keuchel's name had not yet been uttered, but Volquez was savvy enough to know what was coming. He pressed the sarcasm button early.
"I'm the lucky one," Volquez said with a grin.
Volquez might have drawn the short straw by having to face Keuchel, but give him credit for acknowledging it with a wink instead of a shudder.
The reality is that Volquez actually will be squaring off against the Astros' lineup Sunday afternoon, and only indirectly with Keuchel. But Keuchel will loom large over the proceedings from the outset.
Keuchel is not only an American League Cy Young Award favorite, but he is unbeatable in Minute Maid Park, where the series shifts Sunday. The left-hander is 15-0 in 18 home starts this year with a sparkling 1.46 ERA. He struck out 139 batters in 129 1/3 innings while walking just 28.
"We know we're going to be facing one of the toughest guys in the American League and in baseball," Volquez said. "He's one of the best guys all year long. We're going to be ready for him, and I'm pretty sure they're going to be ready for us. He already faced us and we know what he's got. We're going to do our best to win the game."
If there is anything this postseason already has shown, though, it is that there isn't a sure thing. Already the Toronto Blue Jays' David Price, the Chicago Cubs' Jon Lester and the Los Angeles Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw have been beaten. All three are left-handed aces, just like Keuchel.
The Royals know, though, that their window of opportunity will be a tight one.
"It's one of those games where you have to try to take advantage of opportunities when he does miss a spot, which is very, very seldom, and make something come of it," Royals manager Ned Yost said.
A loss Sunday against Keuchel, and the Astros would put the Royals on the brink of elimination, but a reasonable path to a series victory still exists. If the Astros win Sunday, as they are favored to do, the Royals can still win Monday with Yordano Ventura on the mound and take the series back to Kansas City for a deciding Game 5.
Getting the best of Keuchel on Sunday, though, would make life much easier, and the Royals do have some momentum now after rallying to defeat the Astros at home Friday.
And even if the Royals can't put together an offensive attack against the Astros' ace Sunday, they still hold hope Volquez can keep things close to let them get the best of Houston's bullpen, just like they did in Game 2.
While Volquez was taking the modest, self-deprecating approach to Sunday's game, the Astros actually think the right-hander will get a little cocky sometime after the first pitch is thrown.
"He's going to come with some attitude," Astros postseason hitting star Colby Rasmus said. "He's going to try to get some deception on us and mix up his windups, and try to get us fired up to swing at his changeup or his curveball.
"I think he'll try to get into our minds a little bit to maybe want to do too much. Hopefully we can combat that with being relaxed, and stay with his deception, or whatever his antics may, be and try to blast it."
If Volquez does decide to throw the kitchen sink at the Astros, who could blame him? After all, nobody is looking at Game 3 as the Edinson Volquez Game.
"I think I just want to pitch my own game, not to worry about what [Keuchel] can do and because that's not my job," Volquez said. "My job is keep the game in line and give us a chance to win. And I know he's one of the best pitchers right now in baseball, so it won't be easy."