SAN FRANCISCO — Grateful Dead songs played over the p.a. system at AT&T Park during batting practice Friday in what may have been a devious plan to mellow out Royals’ hitters before Game 3 of the World Series.
After the shaky performance of the Giants’ bullpen in the sixth inning of the Game 2 loss, some outside-the-boombox thinking was definitely in order.
If the 2014 postseason has taught us anything, it’s to not try to play catch-up against these Royals. The power trio of relievers Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland has been untouchable all year, paving the road to the World Series.
Manager Ned Yost called on them again Friday to save the day, and the Royals just kept truckin’ to stave off the Giants 3-2 to take a 2-1 lead in the Series.
“The bullpen, you get your hands full when they come in,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “I don’t know if there’s a better bullpen because that seventh, eighth and ninth inning, you have a tough go when you’re facing those guys.”
Lou Piniella famously said during his first week of spring training in his first season managing the Cubs that “this is no push-button operation.”
Thanks to their late-inning power trio, the Royals may be the quintessential push-button operation. In essence, it has made life easy for Yost, whose biggest daily decision has been whether to insert Herrera in the sixth for two innings of work or in the seventh for one.
Yost waited a little long Friday to push the button when starter Jeremy Guthrie began to tire in the sixth. With the Royals leading 3-0, Giants pinch-hitter Michael Morse came in with a man on and blasted an 0-2 pitch into the left-field upper deck that was foul but extremely loud. Morse then delivered an RBI double down the third-base line to bring home a run and prompt Yost to make the switch to Herrera.
This time, Herrera’s control was shaky. He issued a four-pitch walk to Gregor Blanco, but got out of the inning with only one more run being scored. Yost then let Herrera bat with two outs in the bottom of the inning with his fastest runner, Jarrod Dyson, on first.
“That’s one of those decisions that’s tearing you apart,” Yost said. “I really wanted Dyson to go, I really did. That’s one of those decisions. But I felt that sending Kelvin out for the seventh was going to be more important than trying to add a tack-on run with our bullpen.”
It turned out the Royals didn’t need the extra run, so Yost pushed the right button.
“Any time a bullpen guy gets an at-bat, we all think it’s fun to watch,” Holland said. “I assume if we had a few runners on things might have changed. But two outs, man on first, it’s not a huge threat, so send him back out. I don’t think about managerial decisions. I just think about getting outs.
Herrera issued another leadoff walk in the seventh and rookie Brandon Finnegan came in with one out to get out of the potential jam.
Davis and Holland both pitched perfect innings, following the blueprint of the Royals’ season. Davis lowered his postseason ERA to 0.79, while Holland tied a major league record with his seventh straight save, joining John Wetteland, Robb Nen, Troy Percival, Brad Lidge and Koji Uehara.
There was no overconfidence in the Royals’ cramped clubhouse, despite having a lead and knowing that at worst the Series will head back to Kansas City.
“That game can change real quick,” Holland said. “We’re not concerned with where the series is. We’re concerned about winning today, and we did. We’ll worry about tomorrow tomorrow.”
The three-headed monster that spent most of the year throwing only one inning apiece is the real heart of the Royals, not the offense that ranked last in the majors in home runs and walks during the season, or the rotation led by James Shields.
During the regular season, Herrera, Davis and Holland became the first threesome in history with at least 60 appearances each to post individual earned-run averages of 1.50 or below. They entered Game 3 with a combined 0.93 postseason ERA, striking out 36 batters in 29 innings.
Shields said Davis is “evolving” as a pitcher.
“To see him do what he’s doing right now is pretty special,” Shields said. “He has been lights out.”
The success of the Royals’ trio could change the way other teams approach free agency this season, especially those without the flexibility to throw tons of money at starters.
Instead of shelling out a nine-figure deal for a top-shelf starter, they could build up the back end of the bullpen with an Andrew Miller or a David Robertson and find an affordable starter who can hang in for five or six innings until the power guys take over.
They’re changing baseball as we know it, one inning at a time.
Twitter @PWSullivan
Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times
