Oct 11, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Kansas City Royals pitcher
Wade Davis(17) in game two of the 2014 ALCS playoff baseball game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports
Kansas City Royals Bullpen vs. Giants Offense
Above we noted that the Giants offense had a particular problem hitting 1) cutters and 2) change-ups. The Giants are also not so good at hitting the slider.
That’s a massive problem against the Kansas City pen, because KC’s trio of Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis, and Greg Holland throw some nasty stuff. Wade Davis has a killer cutter, while Holland throws a wipeout slider and Kelvin Herrera has both a good slider and effective change-up.
Given the Giants weaknesses, they appear to be vulnerable to KC’s dynamic bullpen trio. Since these guys are getting most of the bullpen innings in the playoffs (more than 75%), the Giants look like they will have as much trouble coming back against KC’s magic back end as everyone else.
By now, we all know the numbers: KC is 65-4 when leading after 6 innings, and 72-1 when leading after 7.
No team in baseball history has ever featured 3 pitchers with ERA’s under 1.50 with more than 50 innings pitched like KC’s HDH. Meanwhile, Herrera and Davis have not given up a home run all season.
Outside of KC’s three-headed bullpen monster, they do have some weaknesses that could bite them in the bridge innings, or deep in extra-innings.
The Royals use Jason Frasor and Brandon Finnegan as the bridge (if needed) between the starters and HDH, who have been good in the playoffs. But, Frasor is a journeyman, and Finnegan is a rookie who played for TCU in the College World Series this spring. While the June draft pick goes to the real World Series in 4 months is a great story, the 21-year-old could break down on the big stage (though he did perform well in the wild card game).
Aside from the bridge, the Royals also lack a true LOOGY to get a situational lefty. Tim Collins is on the playoff roster and throws from the left side, but he has a reverse platoon split over his career. Finnegan is a lefty, but he’s also a rookie (with, admittedly, electric stuff). The only other lefty with a good platoon split is regular season starter Danny Duffy, but he has only seen 1 inning of playoff work after tweaking a shoulder late in the season.
Despite these short-comings, even the secondary relievers in the KC pen have power arms with good stuff. All of them can win games for the Royals.