Here are the starting lineups for Game 3 of the Angels-Royals series in Kansas City …
ANGELS
RF Kole Calhoun
CF Mike Trout
1B Albert Pujols
2B Howie Kendrick
SS Erick Aybar
3B David Freese
LF Josh Hamilton
DH C.J. Cron
C Chris Iannetta
C.J. Wilson will be on the mound, looking to put his disappointing regular season in the rearview. Hamilton is 0-for-9 so far in this series, but the Angels are going to stick with the $133 million outfielder. He appeared in just one of the Halos’ final 23 regular-season games due to shoulder, chest, and rib cage injuries.
ROYALS
SS Alcides Escobar
RF Norichika Aoki
CF Lorenzo Cain
1B Eric Hosmer
DH Billy Butler
LF Alex Gordon
C Salvador Perez
2B Omar Infante
3B Mike Moustakas
James Shields, who pitched against the A’s in the American League Wild Card Game, will be making his first start in this series. He owns a 5.26 ERA in 39 1/3 career postseason innings, which doesn’t quite fit with the “Big Game James” nickname, but the impending free agent right-hander has the opportunity here to pitch the Royals into the ALCS. Infante did not have a good regular season and looked lost at the plate in the first two games of this best-of-five set, but Royals manager Ned Yost won’t try Christian Colon at second base.
