Oct 14, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals outfielders Jarrod Dyson (1) , Alex Gordon (4) and Lorenzo Cain (6) celebrate after defeating the Baltimore Orioles in game three of the 2014 ALCS playoff baseball game at Kauffman Stadium. Photo Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The formula worked well for the Kansas City Royals all season: Get a lead late and let the bullpen hold it.
It worked to perfection Tuesday night.
Pinch runner Jarrod Dyson scored the go-ahead run in the sixth inning, and Kansas City’s shutdown bullpen held the Baltimore Orioles hitless the final four innings as the Royals earned a 2-1 victory to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the American League Championship Series.
The Royals earned their seventh consecutive postseason win, matching the Colorado Rockies’ run to open the 2007 playoffs.
One more Kansas City win would seal the best-of-seven series and send the Royals to the World Series.
“None of this has sunk in yet,” Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer said. “We find ways to get it done offensively and produce runs and hand it off to the three-headed monster down there.”
That would be right-handed relievers Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland,
The Royals forged ahead in the sixth on designated hitter Billy Butler’s sacrifice fly.
Right fielder Nori Aoki led off the inning with a single, and Dyson ran for him. First baseman Eric Hosmer drilled a single to right with one out, advancing Dyson to third and ending the outing of Orioles left-hander Wei-Yin Chen.
“Every time I came up to bat tonight, guys were on-base,” Hosmer said. “Their game plan is throw something hard, keep the guy from stealing, so as a hitter, you’ve got to be ready to hit something and be ready for a fastball. There’s not a really good chance they are going to be throwing a breaking ball when (outfielder Lorenzo) Cain or Dyson is on first base, so you’ve got to take advantage of it and not miss it.”
Orioles rookie Kevin Gausman, who made 20 starts during the regular season, was summoned from the bullpen with runners at the corners. Butler greeted him with a run-scoring fly to left.
“I know Gausman is coming in throwing a hard sinker,” Butler said. “I know he’s going to try to get in on me, get me to hit the ball in the ground. I just got underneath one, stayed inside of one and got it to the outfield.
“I hit it really good. I had to hit it good with that wind out there. I know Dyson is on third. I know when I made contact with the ball that I got the job done. He’s going to score on almost anything.”
Kansas City right-hander Jason Frasor, who had not pitched in 10 days, retired the Orioles in order in the sixth and picked up the victory.
Frasor, who was acquired in a July 16 trade with the Texas Rangers, got some help from Mike Moustakas. The third baseman tumbled into a Royals’ dugout chasing center fielder Adam Jones’ foul popup, but he held onto the ball and received a thunderous ovation from the standing-room crowd of 40,183.
Herrera, pumping fastballs from 96 to 99 mph, worked a perfect seventh, striking out Baltimore third baseman Ryan Flaherty and catcher Nick Hundley to end the inning.
Davis struck out one in a spotless eighth. Holland, who logged 46 saves during the regular season, picked up his fifth in the postseason, working a perfect ninth.
The Royals’ bullpen has not allowed a run in the past 12 1/3 innings after giving up a run in the sixth inning of Game 1.
The Orioles did not manage a hit after right fielder Nick Markakis led off the third with a single. The only baserunner they had after that came when Flaherty walked with two outs in the fourth.
First baseman Steve Pearce and shortstop J.J. Hardy stroked back-to-back doubles in the second inning off Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie, giving the Orioles their first lead in the series. It was the first time in 47 innings Kansas City trailed after an inning ended.
Pearce doubled to the left-center gap and scored on Hardy’s double to right-center.
The Royals tied it in the fourth off Chen.
Kansas City loaded the bases with one out when center fielder Lorenzo Cain and Hosmer hit soft singles to the outfield grass and Butler walked on five pitches. Left fielder Alex Gordon, who struck out in each of his previous five at-bats, grounded out to second baseman Jonathan Schoop on the first pitch to bring home Cain.
Guthrie was replaced by Frasor to start the sixth. Guthrie limited the Orioles to one run on three hits, throwing 94 pitches. It was the best start by a Royals pitcher in the ALCS.
Chen was charged with two runs on seven hits and a walk in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out four.
“It’s been done before, so it gives you a chance,” Jones said of coming back from a 0-3 playoff deficit, a feat accomplished only by the 2004 Boston Red Sox in the ALCS against the New York Yankees. “We’ve won four games before. Obviously, it wasn’t in this situation, but we’ve won four games before. We’ve got to start tomorrow, start in the first inning and get some runs across the board.”
NOTES: At 35 years, 189 days, RHP Jeremy Guthrie became the oldest Royal to start a postseason game. … Hall of Famer George Brett threw out the ceremonial first pitch. … Royals manager Ned Yost used the same batting order as he had in the previous six postseason games, but why not? Kansas City won all six. … Royals LHP Jason Vargas will draw the starting assignment for Game 4 on Wednesday. The Orioles will counter with RHP Miguel Gonzalez, who last pitched Sept. 28 in the regular-season finale. … Delmon Young, who has a .389 batting average against Vargas, likely will be the Orioles’ designated hitter Wednesday. … The Monday rainout was the seventh ALCS game postponed by weather since the advent of the wild card in 1995. … Royals RHP Wade Davis became the sixth pitcher in league championship series history to log back-to-back game victories. The previous was Tim Worrell of the San Francisco Giants in 2002.
