Royals edge Giants to take World Series lead

SAN FRANCISCO – The Kansas City Royals edged the San Francisco Giants 3-2 on Friday to grab the upper hand in the 110th World Series.

The Royals won their second straight game to take a two-games-to-one lead in Major League Baseball’s best-of-seven championship final, and will try to take a stranglehold on the series in game four on Saturday.

Lorenzo Cain, Alex Gordon and Eric Hosmer all delivered run-scoring hits for the Royals, who are back in the post-season for the first time since they won their only title in 1985.

Starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie pitched five-plus innings of shut-out ball and the bullpen again came up big for the Royals.

Relief pitchers Kelvin Herrera, Brandon Finnegan, Wade Davis and Greg Holland combined to throw four no-hit innings.

Holland finished off the triumph by retiring the side in order in the ninth, his seventh save of these playoffs.

“The (Royals) bullpen, you get your hands full when they come in,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “I don’t know if there’s a better bullpen because that seventh, eighth and ninth inning you have a tough go when you’re facing those guys.”

Guthrie gave up four hits while Giants starter Tim Hudson was charged with four hits and three runs in 5 2/3 innings.

“It’s a tough one to swallow,” said Hudson, a 214 game-winner who at 39 was the second-oldest player to make his World Series debut as a starting pitcher.

“They just did the little things to beat us.”

Hudson got a rude welcome to the Fall Classic as Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar smacked his first pitch, a 91-mph (146-kph) fastball, off the base of the outfield wall for a double.

Escobar advanced to third on Gordon’s ground out to first and scored on Cain’s chopper to shortstop before Hosmer was out at first to end the frame with the Royals up 1-0.

“That was just fighting and battling to get Escobar in,” Cain said. “It was a great start.”

With the Giants unable to break through against Guthrie, the Royals stretched their lead in the top of the sixth, when Escobar singled with one out and scored again on Gordon’s double off the center field wall.

After Cain grounded out, Bochy lifted Hudson for left-handed reliever Javier Lopez with Hosmer coming to the plate.

First Series hit for Hosmer

Hosmer, on the 11th pitch of his at-bat, hit a line drive to center that scored Gordon for a 3-0 Royals lead.

It was Hosmer’s 14th hit of the post-season but his first in the World Series — and came on his 25th birthday.

The Giants responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth.

Guthrie had retired 10 straight batters before giving up a single to Brandon Crawford to lead off the bottom of the sixth.

Michael Morse, pinch-hitting for Lopez, whetted the appetites of Giants fans with a high foul into the left field seats, then belted a grounder up the left-field line for a double that scored Crawford.

That spelled the end of Guthrie’s night.

“Guthrie threw the ball extremely well the first five innings,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “I just wasn’t going to take any chances. I was going to go with my bullpen.”

Herrera came in and immediately issued a walk to Gregor Blanco.

Herrera then induced Joe Panik to ground out, with Morse advancing to third on the play and Blanco to second.

Buster Posey grounded out to first, scoring Morse and leaving Blanco on third representing the tying run.

But Giants slugger Pablo Sandoval grounded out to first and the Royals emerged from the sixth with a one-run lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Sandoval finished the night 0-for-4 at the plate, ending his run of 25 straight post-season games in which he reached base safely.

The Giants, who are seeking their third title in five years after snapping a 56-year title drought in 2010 and winning again in 2012, will try to get back on terms on Saturday when they host game four. – Rappler.com