Bold move pays off as Royals go up 2-0
BALTIMORE–Buntingyour hottest hitter in the ninth inning of a tie game? Welcome to Ned Yost’s world.
The Royals manager took the bat out of Mike Moustakas’ hands to move the go-ahead run into scoring position on Saturday, then watched the move pay off as Alcides Escobar drove in the decisive run with a double on Zach Britton’s next pitch to keep Kansas City’s magic carpet ride going.
By the time Greg Holland closed things out in the bottom of the ninth, the Royals were celebrating a 6-4 win over the Orioles in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series, giving them a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. “When you go into a series like this if you could go home 1-1, you’re going to be really, really happy,” Yost said. “If you can go home 2 0, that’s as good as it gets.” The Royals completed a sweep of the two games in Baltimore and the series now shifts to Kansas City for the next three games, beginning Monday. If the Royals – 6-0 in this postseason – can win two more times, they will be headed to their first World Series since 1985.
“The series ain’t over,” said Orioles center fielder Adam Jones, who hit a tworun homer to tie the game in the third. “You guys thinking it’s over, why are we going to show up on Monday? We’ve got a lot of baseball to play in this series. Let’s get back after it. We’re going to get to K.C. and go there to get two on the road. Let’s go there and have some fun, eat some barbecue.”
After losing a 10-inning affair Friday night, the Orioles were tied with the Royals entering then in thinning on Saturday. Once again, the Royals bullpen gave Kansas City a chance to win. Four relievers combined for 3.1 scoreless innings after rookie Yordano Ventura left the game with shoulder tightness in the sixth inning. Yost said the youngster isn’t expected to miss his next start.
Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis each tossed a scoreless inning, while Holland finished up for his fourth save after the Royals scored twice in the top of the ninth.
Lorenzo Cain had four hits and two spectacular catches, including a running grab of J.J. Hardy’s slicing liner in right field to end the seventh.
The teams will work out at Kauffman Stadium on Sunday before Wei-Yin Chen takes the mound against Jeremy Guthrie trying to get the Orioles back in the series.
“These have been exciting games,” Britton said. “It’s just one team capitalizing on the mistakes. It seems like we’re unable to keep momentum on our side. When we get it, they get it right back, which is what a team on a hot streak does.”
The Royals scored twice in the first against Bud Norris, then the Orioles countered with a run in the second. Butler drove in a run in the third to push the lead back to two.
“They’re a tough team,” Baltimore’s Steve Pearce said. “When we score runs, they constantly fire right back.”
Jones evened the score with his first career postseason home run, but Moustakas went deep in the fourth, matching the Royals record with his fourth home run of the postseason. “I am having an absolutely phenomenal time playing baseball right now,” Moustakas said.
Nelson Cruz’s RBI fielder’s choice tied the game at 4 in the fifth inning, a score that would hold until the final frame.
Omar Infante opened the ninth with a bunt single against Darren O’Day, prompting Showalter to call on Britton. Despite Moustakas’ hot bat, Yost — who cited Britton’s numbers against lefties (.386 OPS) for his decision — had him bunt pinch-runner Terrance Gore into scoring position. Like everything else this month for the Royals, it paid off.
Escobar lined Britton’s next pitch down the first-base line for a 5-4 lead. Jarrod Dyson reached on an error, then Cain singled in Escobar to pad the lead and put the Orioles in a 2-0 hole.
“I think we’re back to being the underdog,” Pearce said. “We’ll have that scratch-and-claw feeling we’ve had all year and find a way to get it done.”