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Royals beat Giants, take 2-1 World Series lead

 
The Royals’ Eric Hosmer hits a run-scoring single off Giants reliever Javier Lopez during the sixth inning of Game 3, giving Kansas City a 3-0 lead.
The Royals’ Eric Hosmer hits a run-scoring single off Giants reliever Javier Lopez during the sixth inning of Game 3, giving Kansas City a 3-0 lead.
Published Oct. 25, 2014

SAN FRANCISCO — Jeremy Guthrie pitched shutout ball into the sixth inning, Lorenzo Cain drove in an early run off Tim Hudson and made a pair of nifty catches in rightfield, and the Royals beat the Giants 3-2 Friday night to take a two games to one lead in the World Series.

Cain's RBI groundout three batters in put the Royals ahead, and Kansas City expanded its lead to 3-0 in the sixth after Alex Gordon hit an RBI double off Hudson and later scored on Eric Hosmer's single off left-hander Javier Lopez.

San Francisco finally got to Guthrie in the bottom of the sixth when pinch-hitter Michael Morse hit an RBI double over third base just past the glove of a diving Michael Moustakas and scored on Buster Posey's groundout against Kelvin Herrera.

Herrera, Brandon Finnegan, former Ray Wade Davis and Greg Holland combined for four innings of hitless relief, the longest in a Series game in 22 years.

Of the 57 times a World Series has been tied at 1, the Game 3 winner has taken the title 37 times.

Guthrie returned to the area where he gained attention pitching for Stanford in 2001-02, becoming a first-round draft pick, and made just his second start since Sept. 26. He allowed two runs and four hits in five-plus innings.

Guthrie gave up a single in the second to Hunter Pence, who was caught stealing second by catcher Salvador Perez, followed by Brandon Belt's single to center. Guthrie retired his next 10 batters in order and combined with Hudson to get out 20 in a row, the longest Series streak since the Yankees' Don Larsen and the Brooklyn Dodgers' Sal Maglie retired the first 23 during Larsen's perfect game in 1956, according to STATS.

At 39 years, 102 days, Hudson became the second-oldest pitcher to make his World Series debut as a starter behind Philadelphia's Jamie Moyer, who was 45 years, 342 when he started the third game against the Rays in 2008. Hudson allowed three runs and four hits in 5⅔ innings.

On a sun-splashed late afternoon in northern California, the Fall Classic returned to AT&T Park, where the Giants had won six straight Series games dating to 2002. The ballpark alongside San Francisco Bay has a unique atmosphere. For example, the Grateful Dead's Sugar Magnolia and Uncle John's Band played on the sound system during batting practice. Many fans wore orange — including a man in an orange suit behind home plate — and thousands waived orange towels.

With the shift to the NL park, the Royals moved Cain from center to right to boost defense. Usual rightfielder Nori Aoki was not in the lineup, and Jarrod Dyson was in center in his first start since Sept. 20.

Cain made a pair of nice plays early, sliding to grab Posey's liner to end the first and reaching down for a running grab on Travis Ishikawa's twisting drive to end the second.