Baltimore Orioles vs. Kansas City Royals: Keys for Each Team to Win ALCS Game 3

After two hard-fought games in this year's American League Championship Series, the Kansas City Royals hold a 2-0 lead on the Baltimore Orioles.

Monday night marks the series' first game in Kansas City, and both teams know that it is far from over.

If Kansas City hopes to continue its winning ways, it will need to keep doing the things that have been working for it thus far while also not allowing Baltimore to implement game plans that may hinder the team's tendencies.

Meanwhile, Baltimore will need to make some major changes in how it goes about addressing certain situations.

Let's take a look into the keys to the game for the Royals and Orioles for Game 3 of the ALCS.

Kansas City Royals: Offense Remains Multifaceted

Colin E. Braley/Associated Press

For Mike Moustakas, Game 2 was a prime example of Kansas City's ability to use its hitters in a variety of ways to get positive results.

Moustakas homered off of Bud Norris in the top of the fourth inning, yet he was asked to sacrifice bunt in the top of the ninth inning to move over pinch runner Terrance Gore.

Granted, Moustakas is the Royals' No. 9 hitter, but the fact is that the Royals aren't afraid to mix things up and use someone with his power potential to play a little small ball and move the runners into scoring position to get the runs they need.

Kansas City Royals: Extend Innings for Back of the Bullpen

Colin E. Braley/Associated Press

Playoff games are a different beast for major league players in the sense that they are creatures of habit, so any little deviation in their preparation can throw them off.

Relief pitchers need to be the most flexible about having their roles altered. The manager may call for them to pitch for over an inning, which they may have done rarely in the regular season.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter has frequently asked his best arms to give him more than an inning's worth so far in both playoff series.

Per Steve Gardner of USA Today, Showalter understands that some buttons need to be pushed in the postseason:

"

There are no roles in your bullpen. I think what's changed over the years is what's considered deep in a ballgame. Deep in a ballgame is now the sixth inning. I know that makes a lot of the older veteran players cringe but that's just the way it is.

"

In Game 1, Royals manager Ned Yost extended Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis out to two innings apiece due to Brandon Finnegan's struggles, and he may need to do that again if Monday's starter, Jeremy Guthrie, is unable to pitch for six innings.

Baltimore Orioles: Regain Offensive Identity

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

The Orioles have struggled mightily this series at the plate, particularly with runners in scoring position. Twice in Game 2, Baltimore had bases loaded situations but managed to plate only one runner off a sacrifice fly in one of the two instances.

If Baltimore hopes to keep the pressure on Kansas City, it cannot squander scoring opportunities in these key situations.

In addition, the Orioles need to regain the power stroke that they've showcased throughout the regular season and in the American League Division Series. The Birds have it in them, but if they can't match the Royals' speed, they need to be dangerous on offense instead. 

Baltimore Orioles: Chen Needs to Pitch Deep into the Game

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Through the first two games, no Baltimore starter has been able to get through the fifth inning.

Both Chris Tillman (Game 1) and Bud Norris (Game 2) pitched only 4.1 innings apiece in their starts while totaling nine earned runs between them. Given the starting rotation's enormous success in the second half of the regular season, this could come as sort of a shock to the team and its fans, but maybe the weaknesses in the pitching staff are finally being exposed.

Nonetheless, Game 3 starter Wei-Yin Chen needs to go at least six innings to give the bullpen some breathing room and keep it fresh enough to close out the game.

Baltimore Orioles: Don't Be Afraid to Play Small Ball

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Perhaps the biggest cause of frustration for Orioles fans right now is the club's inability to utilize small ball when the situation calls for it.

Case in point, in the bottom of the seventh inning of Game 2, with runners on first and second for Baltimore with no outs, instead of opting to bunt the runners over to get both in scoring position for slugger Nelson Cruz, Adam Jones promptly struck out for an unproductive out.

Cruz would then go on to single and create a bases loaded situation, but just one run in could have shaped the dynamic in the Orioles' favor and could've led to a different result in the end.