Giants beat Royals 11-4 in Game 4

HOWIE RUMBERG
AP Sports Writer

Hunter Pence adds a sliding catch in right field to a stellar night at the plate — three hits, three RBIs — for the second out of the ninth. Strickland gets Eric Hosmer on a tapper back to the mound to end the 11-4 victory that took exactly 4 hours and evened the series 2-2.

Game 5 is Sunday night. The Royals’ James Shields matches up against Giants ace Madison Bumgarner. See you then.

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Bruce Bochy is going to Hunter Strickland for the final three outs of Game 4. With a seven-run lead, there’s a little less pressure on the rookie right-hander. Strickland has struggled this postseason after making nine scoreless appearances to start his career. He has allowed five homers in 5 1-3 innings this October.

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The Giants have broken the game open against the Royals’ middle relief. Rookie Joe Panik makes it a six-run cushion with his second double of the night. Hunter Pence then picks up his third RBI and hit of the night, a double down the left-field line off Tim Collins for an 11-4 lead.

There have been 26 hits so far in Game 4, only four for extra bases.

The Royals were leading 4-2 when starter Jason Vargas was lifted after allowing a leadoff to start the fifth. Jason Frasor, Danny Duffy, Brandon Finnegan and Tim Collins combined to yield eight runs.

This is one way to avoid the lights-out trio at the back of the KC bullpen.

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Pablo Sandoval gets another hit against a lefty, and this one gives the Giants the lead after trailing 4-1 in Game 4. The switch-hitter lined a single off Danny Duffy in the fifth, when San Francisco tied it. In the sixth, he laced a two-run single off Brandon Finnegan. Sandoval hadn’t had a two-hit game batting from the right side since Aug. 25, according to STATS.

Brandon Belt followed with a run-scoring hit to make it 7-4 before the Royals to get to their shut-down trio at the back of the bullpen.

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And the new replay review system makes its World Series debut. Royals manager Ned Yost challenges a pickoff attempt at second base with no outs in the sixth inning. The call by second base umpire Jeff Kellogg.

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Yusmeiro Petit starts the sixth by giving up a single to Jarrod Dyson. The reliever then gets pinch-hitter Nori Aoki to ground into a double play and Alcides Escobar to fly out. Petit pounds his glove and shouts as he stomps off the mound. Why not? He just finished his 12th scoreless inning of the postseason — three tonight. Petit has allowed only four hits in October.

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KC’s Jarrod Dyson saved at least one run with a diving, divot-flying catch in center field on Juan Perez’s blooper with the bases loaded. But Hunter Pence tagged up on the play to tie it 4-all in the fifth. Danny Duffy then struck out Brandon Crawford to end the inning.

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Joe Panik chases Jason Vargas with a leadoff double in the bottom of the fifth. Now it’s Jason Frasor. After an out, Hunter Pence grounds a single up the middle to pull the Giants to 4-3. Shortstop Alcides Escobar appeared to be cheating toward third base and couldn’t make the play, and Frasor throws his hands up in the air in frustration.

Frasor is lifted for lefty Danny Duffy to turn switch-hitter Pablo Sandoval around. He hit .199 against lefties this season, but Kung Fu Panda smokes one into left field and Pence hustled to third on the single.

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Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Daniel Hudson just tweeted, “‘I’m really not a fan of the ‘pitch clock’ but my god this game’s pace is terrible”

Heading into the bottom of the fifth, the Royals are leading 4-2. Time of game so far: 2 hours, 8 minutes.

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Trailing 4-2 with two outs and a runner on first, Giants manager Bruce Bochy allows middle reliever Yusmeiro Petit, who’s unscored upon in 10 innings this postseason, to bat. Petit, just 5 for 103 in his career, bloops a single to center, extending the inning.

The last Giants reliever with a hit in the World Series was Slick Castleman in 1936 (Game 6).

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Buster Posey breaks out of his World Series slump with an RBI single in the third inning that trims San Francisco’s deficit to 4-2.

The star catcher improves to 3 for 14 in the Series with two RBIs.

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The Royals go up 4-1in the third with a little bit of everything, beating out two infield hits to tie it. Then, Omar Infante — he entered 9 for 14 against Ryan Vogelsong — had a two-run single and Salvador Perez chased Vogelsong with an RBI single. All four runs came with two outs.

A little eager while batting with the bases loaded, Jason Vargas worked the count full — well, he thought it was ball four. Vargas got halfway to first when he heard his teammates shouting to him, and he froze in place and grinned. Vargas then struck out looking to end the inning.

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Lorenzo Cain came up limping a bit after beating out an infield single in the third. The ALCS MVP stayed in the game and scored the Royals’ first run.

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Royals Game 5 starter James Shields, in an interview with the Fox broadcasters, weighed in on his former manager, Joe Maddon, opting out of his contract with the Tampa Bay Rays. “It did surprise me. I thought he’d be there for 40 years,” Shields said.

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Jason Vargas bounces back nicely after a 27-pitch first with a 10-pitch second. He ends the inning by taking first baseman Eric Hosmer’s toss and just beats Brandon Crawford to the bag.

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The Giants looked a lot like Kansas City in the first, and they have the early lead — without a hit.

Gregor Blanco walked leading off, went to second on Jason Vargas’ wild pitch and stole third. Vargas, who walked only 41 batters in 187 innings this year, then gave Buster Posey a free pass with one out.

Hunter Pence, he of the highest socks in baseball, then beat out a double-play relay and Blanco scored.

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No nerves for Ryan Vogelsong. He sandwiched two strikeouts around Lorenzo Cain’s bloop single in a 13-pitch first.

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Game 4 of the World Series is underway, and the umbrellas have been put away. There was a light rain during pregame ceremonies but the sun is out now.

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Bryan Stow, the Giants fan still recovering after he was beaten outside Dodger Stadium on opening day in 2011, was on the field in his wheelchair. Flanked by Giants reliever Jeremy Affeldt and third base coach Tim Flannery, Stow called out “Play ball!” over the sound system at AT&T Park.

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Little League World Series star Mo’ne Davis is set to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Will she hurl one of her 70 mph fastballs over the plate?

It’s a perfect strike to Giants backup catcher Andrew Susac. What else would you expect?

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Ryan Vogelsong ready to start for San Francisco. Manager Bruce Bochy chose to stay on rotation rather than use ace Madison Bumgarner on short rest even though the Giants trail 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. Vogelsong was 3-0 with a 1.19 ERA in five postseason outings before getting hit hard by St. Louis in the NLCS.

Royals lefty Jason Vargas is making his first World Series start, nine days after he allowed a run over 5 1-3 innings against Baltimore in the ALCS. Vargas is familiar with AT&T Park during the Fall Classic: he and his wife were in the stands for Game 1 of the 2010 Series.

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Before the game, sluggers Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels and Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins win the Hank Aaron Awards, given by MLB to the top offensive player in each league. Stanton attended the ceremony on the field, Trout did not.

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AP Baseball Writer Ben Walker contributed to this report.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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