Royals rout Giants, send World Series to Game Seven

KANSAS CITY, Missouri -- The Kansas City Royals awoke from their hitting slumber in a 10-0 thrashing of the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday to stave off elimination and force the World Series to a decisive seventh game.



After a 162-game regular season and three rounds of postseason action, the Major League Baseball championship will come down to one game with the Giants chasing a third title in five years and the never-say-die Royals looking to end a 29-year championship drought.

The Royals entered the contest trailing the best-of-seven series 3-2 and having not scored a run in 15 innings.

But Kansas City batters rediscovered their groove in the second inning of Game Six when they exploded for seven runs on eight hits to chase Giants starter Jake Peavy after just 1-1/3 innings and set the stage for a comprehensive rout.

"Guys stepped up in a big way tonight. We felt we just had to get it done, find any way possible to get on base and drive in runs," said Royals outfielder Lorenzo Cain, who contributed a pair of hits and three RBI to the Kansas cause.

Game Seven is Wednesday in Kansas City.

Before the end of the third inning every member of the Royals starting lineup had at least one hit, Mike Moustakas leading the hit parade with a double and a home run.

In contrast, San Francisco bats went quiet with inspired Royals rookie Yordano Ventura pitching seven shutout innings.

The 23-year-old Dominican fireballer, sporting hand-written tributes on his cap, glove and shoes in tribute to compatriot Oscar Taveras, the St. Louis Cardinals outfielder who was killed in car accident on Sunday, was brilliant allowing just three hits while striking out four with five walks.

"I don't really know what more to say. I mean you got a 23-year-old kid in the biggest game this stadium has seen in 29 years and our backs against the wall and he goes out there in complete command of his emotions ... and throws seven shutout innings," Royals manager Ned Yost told reporters.

"We talked all along about how special he is. This just shows, you can't get in a bigger stage then he was on tonight and to perform the way that he did tonight was just special."

Moustakas sparked the second inning burst with a sharply hit double down the right field line that cashed in Alex Gordon with the game's first run.

With the bases loaded Nori Aoki singled to left driving in a second run to bring Peavy's night to a quick end, the right-hander surrendering five runs on six hits.

The pitching change did nothing to slow down the rampaging Royals, Cain welcoming Yusmeiro Petit to the game with a bases-loaded looper to centre field that scored two more runs.

Eric Hosmer added to the assault with a two-run double before Billy Butler capped off the big inning with an RBI double to whip the capacity crowd into a frenzy.

The Giants looked poised to hit back in the third after loading the bases only to watch Buster Posey hit into double play to end the threat.

The Royals, however, were far from done, Cain adding an RBI double in the bottom of the third and Alcides Escobar cracking another run scoring double in the fifth followed a by Moustakas solo home run in the seventh.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Royals return home for last shot at fairytale ending

KANSAS CITY, Missouri - The World Series heads back to Kansas City for another helping of baseball American League style and the Royals hope that familiarity will revive their Cinderella story.

The Royals, who opened their first postseason appearance in 29 years with a record eight consecutive wins, are now one loss away from elimination in the best-of-seven championship against the San Francisco Giants.

But Tuesday's Game Six and, if necessary, Wednesday's Game Seven, will be at Kauffman Stadium in front of success-starved Royals fans with designated hitter (DH) Billy Butler back in the lineup to beef up the attack.

Since taking a 4-1 lead in the third inning of Saturday's Game Four, the Royals have been outscored 15-0 over the next 15 innings and are in dire need of an offensive spark.

Butler had only one at-bat, as a pinch hitter, in the three games played under National League rules, which prohibit the use of a DH, in San Francisco.

"Any time you can get Billy back in the lineup it's huge for us," said Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas. "He's a great hitter and brings a lot to the table for us."

First baseman Eric Hosmer said the home effect he believed had helped the Giants win the last two games of the series would now swing to the Royals' favor.

"They give us a lot of energy," Hosmer said about the Royals fans. "We feed off of them back home."

Beyond the masterful Madison Bumgarner, who has won two games in this series, San Francisco has been sparked by two of their most dynamic hitters and personalities.

Hunter Pence has batted a blistering .474 with six runs scored and five RBIs.

Pablo Sandoval, who required an IV before Game Four after being hit with nausea from a stomach flu, had a key hit in that win, a two-out, two-run single that put the Giants ahead for good.

"He's right up there with some of the great players I've had, the great talents," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said of the beefy third baseman, who is nicknamed "Panda."

"I think good players, great players have a way of rising to the occasion, and he's one of those players.

Pence has been an all-round threat, making outstanding plays in the field as well as in the batter's box.

"Once we got him, he was every bit what I thought he was, a guy that came out to play every day, 100 percent in everything he does," Bochy said. "That's why we call him 'Full Throttle.'"

Despite only one really tight game following a postseason full of nailbiters, this series has been entertaining for its likeable personalities, emphasis on fundamental baseball and outstanding glove work.

"Our two teams have grinded the whole year, we've battled," said Hosmer. "It's always fun when you're competing against guys who have proven themselves and have multiple championships.

"So it's a blast coming into this park and coming into this environment with the fans, and how much energy they have here and seeing all the orange out there. It's the same way in Kansas City. So it's been a fun experience."

The Royals, like the Giants, come through as a close-knit team. Many of the players have come up together through the minor leagues.

"It's a tough grind to get to this level," Hosmer said. "I remember when (All Star catcher) Salvador Perez got sent down to rookie ball and we were in low-A, and it seems like a blink of an eye, and we're in the World Series together."

"It's really special. Our families have gotten really close with each other. It's one giant family now."

(Editing by Frank Pingue)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com