Some bullet points as we get ready for the all-important Game 3. When the World Series is tied 1-1, the Game 3 winner goes on to win 71 percent of the time.
Royals manager Ned Yost did what myself and others speculated, inserting Jarrod Dyson into center field, moving Lorenzo Cain over to right and benching Norichika Aoki. I obviously think it's the right move, getting your best defensive outfield in a park with that deep right-center corner and fly ball pitcher Jeremy Guthrie on the mound. Yost also moved Alex Gordon up to the No. 2 spot, another move I had proposed. So, good job, Ned Yost!
Without Billy Butler to DH, Yost did have to break up his middle of the order and compromised by moving Mike Moustakas from ninth to fifth. So the lineup goes: Alcides Escobar (R), Gordon (L), Cain (R), Eric Hosmer (L), Moustakas (L), Omar Infante (R), Salvador Perez (R), Dyson (L), Guthrie. It does mean Yost has to bat two lefties back-to-back, and certainly gives Giants manager Bruce Bochy the option of using Javier Lopez and Jeremy Affeldt to face three left-handed batters out of four from Gordon through Moustakas. Royals super fan Rob Neyer tweeted that in doing that, Yost has to be willing to pinch hit for Moustakas (.188 versus left-handed pitchers) -- but also pointed out that he's been pinch hit for once in four months. Still, considering Tim Hudson had a notable platoon split, it makes sense to get another lefty bat higher in the order against Hudson. Get the lead against Hudson, go to your bullpen and it won't matter as much how Bochy can match up late in the game. Jayson Stark has more on the Royals adapting to the NL game.
No changes for Bochy, as he starts six left-handers against Guthrie: Gregor Blanco (L), Joe Panik (L), Buster Posey (R), Pablo Sandoval (S), Hunter Pence (R), Brandon Belt (L), Travis Ishikawa (L), Brandon Crawford (L), Hudson.
As noted in today's pitching matchup breakdown, Guthrie has a big platoon split, with an .824 OPS allowed against lefties and .598 against righties. With that in mind, I think Yost has to have a quick hook and consider using Danny Duffy, Brandon Finnegan or even Tim Collins early in the game to get out of a jam. With the Madison Bumgarner game looming, you have think this is more of a "must win" for the Royals and thus more pressure on Guthrie and Yost not to let the game get away early.
Posey hasn't been a zero in the postseason -- he's hitting .288 and has had some big hits -- but he's also without an extra-base hit now in 52 at-bats. Posey hit some big home runs back in 2012 -- a grand slam against the Reds in the NLDS and then a home run in Game 4 of the World Series -- but his postseason career is kind of marked by a lack of power, as he's hitting .257 but with just a .345 slugging percentage in 171 at-bats. You get the feeling he's due for a blast or a double in the gap.
Worth noting that Sandoval is also without a home run, although he's hitting .346 with six doubles. The Giants don't have to hit home runs to win, but Guthrie is a guy who can give up the long ball.
With Butler and Aoki now available off the bench, the Royals have a good arsenal of pinch-hitting options with Butler, Aoki and Josh Willingham. Something to keep in mind, especially if Guthrie comes up in those crucial middle innings with runners on base.
Tim Lincecum is good to go after the MRI on his back came up negative. Considering Hunter Strickland has probably been banished to Alcatraz and Jean Machi really hasn't been that effective in a couple months, it will be interesting to see who Bochy goes to if Hudson gets knocked out before, say, the seventh inning. He could use Affeldt or Lopez if the left-handed part of the lineup is up, but I'm thinking Yusmeiro Petit has a chance to play an important role in this game. Jim Caple writes that the Giants are still confident in their bullpen.
As Jayson pointed out, over the past eight World Series, AL teams are 7-15 in NL parks. Hard to know how much to read into that. Losing Butler isn't the same thing as losing a David Ortiz from your lineup. Still, it's another layer to this game. Should be a fun one.