Kansas City Royals Win Sixth Straight Playoff Game

By John Viril | Oct 11, 2014

Oct 11, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Kansas City Royals center fielder

Lorenzo Cain

(6) makes a diving catch on a ball hit by Baltimore Orioles shortstop

J.J. Hardy

(not pictured) in the sixth inning in game two of the 2014 ALCS playoff at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: H. Darr Beiser-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Royals started off Saturday’s 2nd ALCS game looking like they wanted to drive the stake into Baltimore before the Orioles could recover from Friday night. The Royals took a quick 2-0 lead in the first, but the Orioles didn’t win 96 games—and the American League East—for nothing.

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Baltimore tied up the game at 4-4 in the 5th when Omar Infante could not turn a double play, and two outstanding bullpens dueled deep into the afternoon.

The Royals then plated 2 runs in the top of the 9th to take a 6-4 lead, to the agony of the crowd in Baltimore. Greg Holland closed out the game to put Kansas City up 2 games to 0 as the series moves to Kansas City.

Right now, the mental strength of the Royals has given them an avalanche of momentum that is demolishing anyone that stands in their way.

On the Mound

Yordano Ventura pitched 5.2 innings, allowing 5 hits, 3 walks, 4 earned runs with 3 strikeouts. Ventura left in the 6th inning with tightness in his shoulder, with the game tied 4-4.

Brandon Finnegan gave up a hit before recording the final out of the 6th.

Kelvin Herrera entered in the 7th, and allowed the leadoff hitter to reach when he failed to tag the bag on a routine ground ball to first. Herrera walked Alejandro De Aza to put himself in a jam.

Herrera then struck out Adam Jones for the first out, before Nelson Cruz singled to right—but the runner held at 3rd, reluctant to challenge Alex Gordon‘s arm in right. Steve Pearce flied out to shallow right, and then Herrera escaped when Lorenzo Cain—now playing in right after Jarrod Dyson took over in center—ran down J.J Hardy’s pop down the right field line.

Whew.

Wade Davis entered in the 8th, and was—well—Wade Davis, despite allowing a 2-out single. Davis pitched yet another scoreless inning.

Greg Holland came in for the 9th to nail down the save. In an almost cruel tease, Holland allowed the tying run to come to the plate when he gave up a 2-out single to Nelson Cruz. Holland then punched out Steve Pearce.

At the Plate

After Alcides Escobar opened the game by lining out to P Bud Norris, Nori Aoki singled to left, Lorenzo Can doubled to deep right—moving the runners to 2nd and 3rd—before Eric Hosmer singled to left to give Kansas City a 2-0 first inning lead.

The Orioles scratched back a run in the bottom of the 2nd on Caleb Joseph‘s sacrifice fly to center. Kansas City then responded in the top of the 3rd with a 2-out rally. Lorenzo Cain beat out an infield single, Hosmer singled to left—advancing Cain to 3rd—and scored on Billy Butler‘s double. KC led 3-1.

The Orioles sent Camden Yards into a frenzy when Nick Markakis nailed a 2-run shot over the wall after De Aza doubled to right, tying the game at 3-3.

Kansas City immediately struck back when Mike Moustakas slammed his 4th post-season home run—a solo shot that put KC up 4-3 in the top of the 4th.

The Orioles tied the game in the 5th on Nelson Cruz’s ground out to short. Alcides Escobar made an acrobatic grab and relay to second, but Omar Infante failed to make a strong throw to 1st which allowed the run to score from 3rd. Infante has been playing with an injured shoulder since September.

Omar Infante beat out an infield single to start the 9th, advanced to 2nd on a bunt by Moustakas (he of the 4 home runs), and scored on Alcides Escobar’s double to right to put KC up 5-4. Defensive specialist/baserunner Jarrod Dyson hit a chopped up the middle that the Orioles muffed to put runners at 1st and 3rd with one out. Lorenzo Cain then singled to left to add an insurance run that put the Royals up 6-4.

At that point, you could see the deflated body English on part of Oriole fielders.

Hosmer struck out for the 2nd out, and Oriole closer Zach Britton struck out Butler to end the inning—but Baltimore looked beat as they walked off the field.

This and That

When Ventura walked the bases loaded in the 2nd, you could see the leadership Salvador Perez exerts over the Royals pitching staff as he encouraged the rookie starter as the “Oooooo” chant echoed through Camden Yards.

Orioles got a lucky bounce in the 3rd when De Aza tried to make a shoestring catch and failed. Fortunately, the ball bounced back toward the infield rather than rolling toward the wall on Hosmer’s dying liner to right with 2 outs. Billy Butler made the play moot by hitting an opposite-field single to right to score Hosmer.

Moose snatched back the momentum with his solo home run in the top of the 4th with 2 outs.

Lorenzo Cain laid out in the 6th to rob Ryan Flaherty of at least a double. Cain has had an insane series. If he didn’t win a gold glove this season, he’s won one for next year now that baseball fans across America have seen his defensive prowess.

When Herrera missed bag on the first base tag play, he ended up putting himself in a jam that he escaped—in part—due to the intimidation factor of Gordon’s arm in left and Cain’s range in right. No wonder he didn’t give up an earned run for 30 innings—between that defense and a 100 mph fastball, it’s just not fair.

The Royals have won 6 straight post-season games. Add that to the final 3 games of the 1985 World Series, and the franchise has won 9 straight playoff games.

KC Kingdom Player of the Game

Lorenzo Cain is our pick. Cain was everywhere, dashing to both his right and left to make impossible-looking catches in both center and right. Oh. Yeah. Cain also went 4 for 5, with 3 singles, 1 double, 1 run scored, and 1 RBI in addition to being a one-man defensive wrecking crew.

Up Next

Kansas City and Baltimore continue the ALCS on Monday after an off-day on Sunday. The series moves to Kansas City for the next 3 games. Jeremy Guthrie (13-11, 4.13 ERA) will pitch for Kansas City, with Wei-Yin Chen (16-6, 3.54 ERA) going for Baltimore. Game time is 7:07 PM CST at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

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