Royals stay perfect, up 2-0

BALTIMORE (AP) ― Following another successful road show, the Royals are heading back to Kansas City with momentum and history on their side in the AL Championship Series.

Alcides Escobar doubled in the go-ahead run in the ninth inning, Mike Moustakas extended his home run-binge and the Royals remained perfect in the playoffs, beating the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 Saturday for a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven matchup.

Lorenzo Cain had four hits, scored twice and drove in a run for the wild-card Royals, who are 6-0 in the playoffs this year, including 4-0 on the road. Kansas City was 47-34 in away games during the regular season. Moustakas homered for the fourth time in five games as the Royals won their ninth straight in the postseason, a string dating way back to the 1985 World Series.

Game 3 is Monday at Kauffman Stadium. Former Oriole Jeremy Guthrie will start for the Royals against either Wei-Yin Chen or Miguel Gonzalez.

Baltimore, which has lost two in a row at Camden Yards for the first time since June 28-29, now must buck history to earn its first pennant since 1983. No team has ever won a best-of-seven LCS after dropping the first two games at home.

After squeezing out an 8-6 win in 10 innings on Friday night, the Royals again took apart the Baltimore bullpen with a late uprising. With the score tied at 4 in the ninth, Omar Infante beat out an infield roller off Darren O’Day, the losing pitching for the second straight day.

Zach Britton entered, and Moustakas laid down a bunt that moved pinch-runner Terrance Gore to second. Alcides then sliced an opposite-field grounder inside first base to bring home Gore. 


Bumgarner, Giants quiet Cards

ST. LOUIS (AP) ― Madison Bumgarner once again put the San Francisco Giants well on the road to a playoff victory.

Bumgarner pitched shutout ball into the eighth inning and the Giants combined just enough hitting with a couple of defensive flubs by St. Louis to beat the Cardinals 3-0 Saturday night in the NL Championship Series opener.

Bumgarner set a major league postseason record with 26 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings on the road.

“That’s pretty cool,” he said. “There’s stats for everything nowadays. I’ve happened to have a little extra good luck on the road.”

Maybe, although his numbers show that perhaps it’s more than luck. In four postseason road starts, he’s 4-0 with an 0.59 ERA.

The left-hander, already a key part of two World Series championship teams in San Francisco, was in complete command.

But 20-game winner Adam Wainwright made another early exit for the Cardinals. In his two playoff outings this month, he’s failed to last even five innings.

“I think there’s a scenario out there where I give up one run,” Wainwright said. “As ugly as it was, I would say my arm felt better than last time.”

Pablo Sandoval got three hits as San Francisco won for the 12th time in its last 13 postseason games, including three straight victories to erase a 3-1 deficit in the 2012 NLCS against St. Louis.

“Man, exciting to be in October, you know,” Sandoval said. “Last year I was home watching the game on TV.”