Billy Butler drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning as the Royals’ bullpen shut down the Baltimore Orioles the rest of the way for a 2-1 victory on Tuesday that gave them a commanding 3-0 lead in the American League Championship Series.
Orioles pitcher Chen Wei-yin of Taiwan engaged the Royals’ Jeremy Guthrie in a tense pitching duel for five innings, but Kansas City third baseman Mike Moustakas made two marvelous plays to help the Royals win their 10th straight post-season game, including all seven this year.
Chen gave up a leadoff single to Nori Aoki in the sixth, with Eric Hosmer following with a one-out single to put runners on the corners, prompting Orioles manager Buck Showalter to bring in reliever Kevin Gausman to face Butler.
Photo: EPA
The Royals’ designated hitter sent a fly ball to left field for the tiebreaking run in just the latest example of Kansas City doing the little things right.
After winning pitcher Jason Frasor breezed through the sixth, Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis nailed the next two innings. All-Star closer Greg Holland worked a perfect ninth for his third save of the series, setting off a wild celebration in the stands in Missouri’s Kaufmann Stadium.
It was the 13th game to be decided by one run this post-season, matching the record set in 2011 and tied last year. Six games have gone to extra innings, including the San Francisco Giants’ 5-4, 10-inning victory over the St Louis Cardinals hours earlier in the National League Championship Series.
Photo: AFP
In the National League game, a wild throw by relief pitcher Randy Choate on a bunt allowed Brandon Crawford to score the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning, lifting San Francisco over St Louis 5-4 for a 2-1 lead in the series.
At California’s AT&T Park, Crawford drew an eight-pitch walk from Choate to begin the inning, ending a stretch of 16 straight Giants retired since Tim Hudson’s two-out single in the fourth. After failing on two sacrifice attempts, Juan Perez singled to bring up Gregor Blanco.
Blanco fouled off a bunt try, too, but then pushed one to the left side of the mound and the left-handed Choate’s side-armed throw sailed past lunging second baseman Kolten Wong, who was covering first base.
“We don’t do anything easy,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “We might have got a little lucky there with Perez when he couldn’t get a bunt down and he gets a base hit, but Blanco laid down a beauty... I don’t know if that’s luck as much as great bunt, great speed to put pressure on them.”
Randal Grichuk tied it with a solo homer in the seventh that chased Hudson. Playing without injured catcher Yadier Molina, the Cardinals had their chances. They squandered Wong’s double in the second before he delivered a wind-aided, two-run triple in the fourth.
Javier Lopez got the first two outs of the 10th before Jon Jay’s single, just the third hit by a left-handed batter against Lopez since he joined San Francisco in 2010. Two of those are by Jay this series.
Sergio Romo entered and retired Matt Holliday on a full-count grounder to third that Pablo Sandoval snared and fired to first.
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