MLB
Wednesday, October 22
Five things we know heading into World Series Game 2
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Behind Hunter Pence's bat and Madison Bumgarner's left arm, the San Francisco Giants cruised to a 7-1 win over the Kansas City Royals in Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday.
Here are five things we know about the World Series heading into Game 2:
--Pence finally figured out James Shields. The San Francisco right fielder came into the World Series 0-for-11 all-time against Shields. He hit a two-run home run in the first, then led off the third with a double and came around to score the fourth run off Shields. The three runs the Giants scored in the first inning gave Bumgarner a comfortable cushion, and the lefty coasted through seven innings.
"When you've got Madison on the mound, even when it's 0-0, you still feel very confident," Pence said. "We have all the confidence in the world with Bumgarner on the mound, no matter what the score is."
--Bumgarner knows how to pitch in the postseason, especially on the road. He extended his playoff road scoreless streak to a major-league-record 32 2/3 innings before giving up a solo home run to catcher Salvador Perez in the seventh..
"You know what, I felt pretty good," Bumgarner said. "It was just about going out and making pitches and executing. I know that's a boring answer, but for me, that's all it is."
Manager Bruce Bochy said of Bumgarner's postseason success away from AT&T Park, "Some things are hard to explain in this game. I can't tell you anything that would make sense of it, but he's been pitching well at home, too."
--The Giants are seeking to become the 11th team in the past 12 years to win the World Series after winning the opener. The only team since 2003 that lost the first game and went on to win the World Series was the 2009 New York Yankees, who dropped the first game against the Philadelphia Phillies but came back to win the series 4-2.
San Francisco won the first game of each series on the road this postseason, including a wild-card game victory over the Pirates in Pittsburgh.
"It's huge to be able to win that first game in the series," Giants center fielder Gregor Blanco said. "That puts pressure on the other team. We've got to go out tomorrow and keep playing baseball and try to win the second game. If we can do it, we can add more pressure."
--The Royals must respond to a loss for the first time since Sept. 27, when they fell to the Chicago White Sox in the penultimate game of the regular season. A day earlier, Kansas City clinched a spot in the postseason.
"I can speak for everybody in this clubhouse: We're not worried about it," third baseman Mike Moustakas said. "We're going to go out tomorrow and play the same game for whatever got us here. We're not concerned about it. We're not happy about it. We've got another game tomorrow.
"(Kansas City's Game 2 starter Yordano Ventura) throws 100 (mph). The guy has an electric arm with a plus curveball, plus everything. He can go out and dominate a lineup. He's a confident kid, going out there having that swagger. We feed off of him."
--The Kansas City bullpen endured its longest stint in the postseason, amassing six innings in relief of James Shields. With regular starter Danny Duffy pitching three-plus innings and reliever Tim Collins pitching two, the Royals' bullpen is still in good shape.
Duffy, who was pitching for the first time since Oct. 2, walked two of the first three batters he faced, forcing in a run, but then he retired eight in a row.
"I was really happy with his outing," manager Ned Yost said. "First inning in the World Series, you're a little amped up and you've got to come out and get settled in. Once he got settled down, (he) did a nice job."
Duffy wound charged with two runs on one hit and three walks.
Wednesday, October 22
Five things we know heading into World Series Game 2
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Behind Hunter Pence's bat and Madison Bumgarner's left arm, the San Francisco Giants cruised to a 7-1 win over the Kansas City Royals in Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday.
Here are five things we know about the World Series heading into Game 2:
--Pence finally figured out James Shields. The San Francisco right fielder came into the World Series 0-for-11 all-time against Shields. He hit a two-run home run in the first, then led off the third with a double and came around to score the fourth run off Shields. The three runs the Giants scored in the first inning gave Bumgarner a comfortable cushion, and the lefty coasted through seven innings.
"When you've got Madison on the mound, even when it's 0-0, you still feel very confident," Pence said. "We have all the confidence in the world with Bumgarner on the mound, no matter what the score is."
--Bumgarner knows how to pitch in the postseason, especially on the road. He extended his playoff road scoreless streak to a major-league-record 32 2/3 innings before giving up a solo home run to catcher Salvador Perez in the seventh..
"You know what, I felt pretty good," Bumgarner said. "It was just about going out and making pitches and executing. I know that's a boring answer, but for me, that's all it is."
Manager Bruce Bochy said of Bumgarner's postseason success away from AT&T Park, "Some things are hard to explain in this game. I can't tell you anything that would make sense of it, but he's been pitching well at home, too."
--The Giants are seeking to become the 11th team in the past 12 years to win the World Series after winning the opener. The only team since 2003 that lost the first game and went on to win the World Series was the 2009 New York Yankees, who dropped the first game against the Philadelphia Phillies but came back to win the series 4-2.
San Francisco won the first game of each series on the road this postseason, including a wild-card game victory over the Pirates in Pittsburgh.
"It's huge to be able to win that first game in the series," Giants center fielder Gregor Blanco said. "That puts pressure on the other team. We've got to go out tomorrow and keep playing baseball and try to win the second game. If we can do it, we can add more pressure."
--The Royals must respond to a loss for the first time since Sept. 27, when they fell to the Chicago White Sox in the penultimate game of the regular season. A day earlier, Kansas City clinched a spot in the postseason.
"I can speak for everybody in this clubhouse: We're not worried about it," third baseman Mike Moustakas said. "We're going to go out tomorrow and play the same game for whatever got us here. We're not concerned about it. We're not happy about it. We've got another game tomorrow.
"(Kansas City's Game 2 starter Yordano Ventura) throws 100 (mph). The guy has an electric arm with a plus curveball, plus everything. He can go out and dominate a lineup. He's a confident kid, going out there having that swagger. We feed off of him."
--The Kansas City bullpen endured its longest stint in the postseason, amassing six innings in relief of James Shields. With regular starter Danny Duffy pitching three-plus innings and reliever Tim Collins pitching two, the Royals' bullpen is still in good shape.
Duffy, who was pitching for the first time since Oct. 2, walked two of the first three batters he faced, forcing in a run, but then he retired eight in a row.
"I was really happy with his outing," manager Ned Yost said. "First inning in the World Series, you're a little amped up and you've got to come out and get settled in. Once he got settled down, (he) did a nice job."
Duffy wound charged with two runs on one hit and three walks.
