Royals strike again in the sixth then thwart Giants with their bullpen

Mike Oz

SAN FRANCISCO — The Kansas City Royals' mantra this entire postseason has been "Just get to the seventh inning with a lead." That's when their lockdown bullpen trio of Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland usually takes over.

The Royals' bats did their jobs again in the sixth inning — scoring twice against the San Francisco Giants in Game 3 of the World Series. The Royals had been holding onto a 1-0 lead since the first inning. Both starting pitchers had been dealing. But in the sixth, as the Royals faced Giants starter Tim Hudson for the third time, they were able to put together another rally.

It wasn't the five-run dagger they put on the Giants in Game 2, but it was still effective. A few of the usual Royals suspects were swinging the bats: Alcides Escobar singled to start the inning, then Alex Gordon doubled him in. Eric Hosmer then brought around Gordon to make it a 3-0.

Michael Morse came off the bench with a big hit for the Giants. (USA TODAY Sports)
Michael Morse came off the bench with a big hit for the Giants. (USA TODAY Sports)

With the Royals' bullpen looming, even the sixth inning starts to feel stifling. And that's just where the Giants found themselves. But San Francisco's offense finally showed signs of life in its half of the sixth, rallying for two runs after a single by Brandon Crawford, a pinch-hit RBI double by Michael Morse and two ground outs that brought Morse around to score. The Giants chased Kansas City starter Jeremy Guthrie from the game, and managed to make contact against Herrera's heaters.

To no one's surprise, bullpens played a big part in which team eventually won Game 3. Herrera allowed two walks to Giants hitters, but no hits. In fact, the Royals relievers — four of them, because Brandon Finnegan also got the ball — pitched four hitless innings.

The Royals took that one-run lead into the seventh. The Giants didn't pose much of a threat beyond a seven-inning walk. The Royals' mantra held up.

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Mike Oz is an editor for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!