After trading blowouts in KC, the World Series contestants moved to AT&T Park and settled down to the type of game both teams have gotten here by playing. Alcides Escobar hammered the first pitch of the game for a double to LF. He came around to score on a couple of groundouts. That run ultimately was the difference in the game. The teams traded 2-run rallies in the 6'th inning and the Royals bullpen predictably shut it down the rest of the way. Key Lines:
Michael Morse- 1 for 1, 2B. BA= .333. Seems like Morse would be a perfect DH for some AL team next year. He might be the best bat on the Giants team right now, but is limited by his fielding woes.
Tim Hudson- 5.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 K. ERA= 4.76. Hudson would probably like to have the first WS pitch in his career back. I still don't know what he threw to open the game to Escobar. Whatever it was had no life and a terrible location. Escobar drove it off the LF wall for a leadoff double and came around to score in a couple of groundouts. He settled right down after that and pitched a heckuva game into the 6'th when Escobar got to him again for a single and Alex Gordon double him home to end Huddy's night.
Javier Lopez- 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00. You could also look at the hit Eric Hosmer got off Lopez to drive in the 3'rd Royals run as the difference in the game. Lopez has been just a bit off, even against LH hitters of late. Credit to Hosmer for hanging around and capitalizing on an 11 pitch AB.
Jeremy Guthrie(Royals)- 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 K. ERA= 3.60. As you can see from the line, Guthrie had BABIP luck on his side. When you add in the little factoid that the Giants had 4 lineouts against him, well, that pretty much tells you the story right there. One bad pitch by Huddy, a great AB by Hosmer and death by BABIP for the Giants tells the game story in one sentence.
The Win gives the Royals a 2-1 lead in the best of 7 series which historically means they now have a 66.7% chance of being the eventual winner.
Ryan Vogelsong takes the mound tonight facing lefty Jason Vargas in Game 4.
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guthrie is able to pitch to contact because of the great defense behind him...cain played great in rf
ReplyDeleteroyals have a nasty pen, probably the best in the league and thanks to that, yost is allowed to be a manager...cuz i have never in my life seen a guy make so many managerial mistakes, and still come out with a win
al ball makes managers stupid
to win it all...giants will have to do it in kc...that doesnt bode well for their chances
positives....except for pitch one, hudson performed well in his first ws appearance
giants have done a great job neutralizing the royals running game
att is once again the great equalizer
keys to tonite's game....vogey will have to pitch like this is the last game he will ever be in....must be a performance of the ages
giants need to grind out at bats and force ned to go early to his pen...the man cannot manage if he has to go off script
dang, im so sick at looking at the hipster beards of the royals
pagan was in the house last night and will be in for the duration of the games at home...seems the surgery went well
scoots was a no show...i wish him the best in whatever future he may have...it wont be as a giant
bacci
So what would you have done differently than Ned Yost last night, Bacci. I thought he managed it just about perfectly.
DeleteLetting Herrera hit was horrible; there's no justification for that. Other than that he did fine, though there weren't many tough decisions for him
DeleteI thought letting Herrera hit was a great move. The Royals had a 1 run lead. Protecting that lead was the priority. The probability that a pinch-hitter with a runner on first and 2 outs would produce an insurance run that was probably not needed anyway was small.
DeleteWe think we do better when we have our backs against the wall a little.
ReplyDeleteIt might just be me but it seems like people have been gushing over some of the Royals outfield play more than they deserve this series. They are good defensively but I haven't seen any really standout plays so far this series that deserves all the hoopla they are getting. They have made some good plays but nothing that really stands out.
ReplyDeleteI think Yost did get lucky by letting Herrera bat, He should have pinched hit him and try to eek out another run if possible. It worked out for him but it was not a good managerial call for him.
I also think that the Giants will figure out the KC relievers the more they face them and it looks like they are going to be getting the opportunity every game. They will figure them out at one point, just hopefully not too late.
Vogey needs to keep the Giants close tonight and my guess is he will have a very short leash with Petit ready to go at the first sign. Not a must win but pretty damn close to one.
The Royals had a 1 run lead. They have only lost 4 games all season with a 1 run lead after 6. The probability that Yost would get another run by pinch-hitting for Herrera with a runner on first and 2 outs was small. Add that all up and if he thought Herrera was his best guy for the 7'th, he absolutely should not have taken him out for a PH. I loved the call, myself.
Deletebut if he wanted hererra to go more than one inning, then he should have pulled a double switch...which he didnt. and that is stupid
Deleteand im not sure how you missed that
the only time one allows that situation, is when one doesnt have a choice
the al game makes managers stupid
and not sure how anyone can say that cain's of play hasnt been fantastic...he stole a sure two hits from the giants
bacci
Why would he pull a double switch? To put an inferior defensive player out there? Now THAT would be stupid! Ned wanted the defense he already had and he wanted the pitcher he already had. Kudos to him for having the guts to let Herrera hit.
DeleteOh, and Cain made a couple of very good catches. I would not call them fantastic. I think Pence would have made them too.
Delete