Royals Take Another Step Forward; Beat Orioles 8-6

How do I even write this recap? How does this keep happening? I am sitting down at my computer after having just taken part in a living room mosh pit that began as Mike Moustakas‘ two-run shot found a landing spot.

Them Royals, man.

Alcides Escobar started things off in the third with a one-out home run that surprised everyone. Nori then singled and Lorenzo Cain walked. After Eric Hosmer struck out, Billy Butler singled to load the bases and Alex Gordon was there to do what he does. In this instance, what he did was hit a weird broken-bat looper into right field that dropped just inside the line and the Royals were up 4-0. The Orioles fought back in the same inning and after a Nick Markakis double and an Alejandro De Aza groundout, Adam Jones singled to make the score 4-1.

Lorenzo Cain doubled to lead off the fifth and Hosmer pushed him to third with a groundout. Billy Butler hit a sacrifice fly to center and the Royals had pushed the score to 5-1. This didn’t last long as Markakis and De Aza singled to lead of the bottom of the inning before Adam Jones hit a grounder that forced Markakis at third. Nelson Cruz clubbed a one-out double to left to make the score 5-2. After Steve Pearce walked and J.J. Hardy struck out, Ryan Flaherty singled to right to score two runs and put the Orioles within one.

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Brandon Finnegan came in to pitch the six and immediately got into trouble. Jonathan Schoop walked and Markakis singled to right. After a pitch to De Aza, Salvador Perez gunned a throw down to second to catch Schoop between second and third. As Schoop tried to slide into third, Escobar hit him with his throw to the bag causing both runners to be safe. De Aza blooped this weird little hit in between the pitcher’s mound and second base that left Esky with no play at any base and the Orioles had tied it up.

The score stayed the same into the seventh where the Royals had a really unfortunate half of an inning. Nori Aoki led off with a walk and was replaced by Jarrod Dyson. Dyson broke for second and beat the throw pretty easily. However as he slid past the base, his leg either came off the bag or was pushed off by Schoop’s tag depending on which team you’re supporting. Cain was then called out on strikes for the second out of the inning. After Hosmer singled, Butler was called out on strikes as well. I’m not saying that the pitches that got Cain and Billy called out were way off the plate, but the zone was wacky all night and seemed especially suspect that inning.

The game went to extra-innings where the Royals have thrived all postseason and thankfully they continued that trend tonight. Alex Gordon led off with a beast of a solo shot to right field off of Darren O’Day that caused me to giggle uncontrollably. After a Salvador Perez walk and an Omar Infante strikeout, Brian Matusz came in to replace O’Day and Mike Moustakas greeted him with a two-run homer to right-center. (That’s when the mosh pit started at my house)

That Moose home run turned out to be huge as Holland made things interesting in his save opportunity. He got Pearce on a pop-up and Hardy on a strikeout but he then gave up a single to Ryan Flaherty and walked pinch-hitter Jimmy Paredes. Delmon Young came in to pinch-hit for Schoop and singled to score Flaherty and put runners on first and second. Greg was able to stop my nail-biting by getting Markakis to ground to Infante to end the game.

James Shields ended with a line of five innings pitched giving up ten hits, four earned runs with three strikeouts and a walk. It was another rough outing for him and Finnegan’s struggles have already been noted but Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis each had two innings of scoreless relief and combined for six strikeouts. Holland gave up a run but still nabbed the save.

Yordano Ventura faces Bud Norris tomorrow afternoon in Baltimore.

We haven’t lost yet. Why start now?

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Royals Take Another Step Forward; Beat Orioles 8-6 In Extras

By Ethan Evans | Oct 10, 2014