Giants-Royals deadlocked at a game apiece

Dynasty vs Destiny? - For only the second time in MLB history, two Wild Card teams are facing off in the World Series with this one featuring a Kansas City Royals team making their first World Series appearance (let alone their first Postseason appearance) since 1985 versus a San Francisco Giants ball club that has made a habit out of appearing and winning in the Fall Classic in even numbered years dating back to 2010. And with the first two games in the books, the Giants and Royals are both knotted up at a game apiece as the series shifts to the Bay Area for Games 3, 4 and 5.

In Game 1, the red-hot Kansas City Royals who entered the Fall Classic a perfect 8-0 during the Postseason, finally met their match and was handed their first loss as San Francisco's ace Madison Bumgarner continued his October brilliance with yet another gem. Sporting the best road ERA during the Postseason in MLB history at a ridiculous 0.68 rate, besting Bob Gibson's mark of 0.97 ERA, Bumgarner twirled 7 innings of 3-hit, 1-run ball while striking out 5 and walking just 1. And although Game 1 saw the first Postseason run allowed on the road by Bumgarner since Game 4 of the 2010 NLDS, the 2014 All-Star witnessed another streak continue as the Giants extended their World Series winning streak to 7 consecutive wins. Before Bumgarner even stepped foot on the pitcher's mound, he was given a 3-run first inning lead as Pablo Sandoval's RBI double and Hunter Pence's 2-run shot gave the Giants an early advantage.

The Giants would add another pair of runs in the 4th inning on a run-scoring single by Michael Morse and a bases loaded walk by Gregor Blanco as San Francisco chased James Shields after just 3+ innings, marking the shortest Postseason outing of his career. But it wouldn't end there for the G-Men offense as rookie second baseman Joe Panik drove in Blanco on an RBI triple followed by a RBI single for Pablo Sandoval just two batters later. The lone bright spot for the Royals offensively would come with 2-outs in the 7th inning as catcher Salvador Perez hit a solo homer, putting an end to Bumgarner's road scoreless-inning streak and the shutout as the Giants easily took Game 1 by a Final of 7-1.

Game 2 - After being handed their first loss of the Postseason in Game 1 and allowing 7 runs, the Royals returned the favor and hung a 7-spot of their own on the Giants in Game 2. But just one batter in, Game 2 looked much like a reoccurring nightmare of Game 1 for the Royals as Gregor Blanco led off the game with a home run off of Kansas City's rookie fire-baller Yordano Ventura. With Blanco's leadoff shot, the Giants became the first team in World Series history to hit 1st inning home runs in Games 1 & 2. However, facing a pitcher in Jake Peavy who the Royals have had plenty of success against over the last few seasons, K.C. would answer with an RBI single off the bat of Billy Butler which tied the game at 1 heading into the second frame. They would eventually take their first lead of the series in the second inning as Omar Infante and Alcides Escobar reached on doubles.

The Giants would eventually tie the game in the fourth inning on doubles by Pablo Sandoval and Brandon Belt but it would be the last of the offensive fireworks for the G-Men who were unable to get anything going against a lights out Royals bullpen. After scuffling in the opening two frames, Jake Peavy settled in and entered the sixth inning having retired 10 straight batters. But it was there where the Royals would do a majority of the damage as Peavy was chased after 5+ innings, forcing Giants manager Bruce Bochy to burn five different pitchers in the inning, tying a World Series record for the most pitchers used in a single-inning set back in the 1985 Fall Classic which coincidentally featured the Royals. Jean Machi and Hunter Strickland were unable to prevent the Royals from scoring the two men Peavy allowed on base before departing as Billy Butler connected with his second RBI single of the game before Salvador Perez reached on an RBI double. But the biggest blow would be a 2-run homer surrendered by Strickland off the bat of Omar Infante who had gone 145 career postseason at-bats before dialing up his first career postseason homer.

Strickland, yelling at himself in disgust after allowing the home run, got into a war of words with Perez and several of his Royals teammates as the benches briefly cleared with nothing but words being exchanged. Perez had thought Strickland's comments were directed towards him and took it upon himself to yell back as Strickland didn't shy away, but nothing more would come of it. In just 23 batters faced, Strickland has already allowed five long balls this Postseason which ties a single-Postseason record. Unfortunately for the Giants, the Kansas City bullpen would bend but not crack as the Royals evened up the series with a 7-2 win, making this just the second World Series where the first two games were decided by 5 runs or more. 

Looking ahead to Game 3 as the series shifts to San Francisco for the next three games, the recipe to success for the Royals this Postseason has been their ability to wreak havoc on the base paths which up to this point has yet to be seen as Giants catcher Buster Posey threw out Alcides Escobar in Game 2 on K.C.'s only steal attempt of the series. Royals skipper Ned Yost will likely return to that strategy in Game 3 as veteran pitcher Tim Hudson toes the slab with one of the better success rates against him when it comes to steals. He'll be making his first ever World Series appearance despite being in the league for 16 seasons and will square off against Jeremy Guthrie who the Royals will turn to in hopes of taking a 2 games to 1 lead. And while Game 1 winners have went on to hoist the Commissioner's Trophy in 10 of the last 11 Fall Classic's and 15 of the last 17, the odds for team's who have went on to win Game 3 after splitting the first two games are even more tilted. And with the Giants returning to AT&T Park in front of their fans, the orange and black like their chances with the position they're in. 


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Melky's Memorable First Half

Since the Giants ball club has been around dating back to the late 1800's as one of baseball's oldest teams, there's been few players to play for the franchise who've had a better first half of a season than Melky Cabrera. Instead of hitting home runs left and right, Cabrera instead awed fans by collecting hits at a torrid pace. After logging one of the best months by a Giant in franchise history by surpassing the great Willie Mays' mark of 49 hits in the month of May before later tying Randy Winn the very next day for the most hits in a single month by a Giant (SF era) with 51, Cabrera was named to the 2012 All-Star Game where he led all National League outfielders in votes with more than 7.5 Million.


Having led the Major League in hits with 119, while most players cooled off during the All-Star break, the 27-year old native from the Dominican picked up right where he left off in Tuesday's Midsummer Classic by collecting the game's first hit in the top of the first inning, lacing a single to left-center field off of Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander. After coming around to score on an RBI double by Milwaukee Brewers slugger Ryan Braun later in the inning, Cabrera watched his Giants teammate Pablo Sandoval get in on the action by hitting a triple off the wall in right which cleared the bases and gave the NL All-Stars a commanding 4-0 lead before adding another run in the inning thanks to an RBI single from St. Louis' Matt Holliday which scored Sandoval. Having piled on 5-runs against last year's reigning AL Cy Young and MVP Award winner after only the first frame, the game was well over and decided. But Melky wouldn't abandon the fans of Kansas City who watched him have a breakout season the year before in a Royals uniform without giving them a show. 

After tacking on another run in the fourth inning, Cabrera put the finishing touches on the ballgame by launching a 2-run homer to left field off of Texas' Matt Harrison, giving the National League an 8-run lead they wouldn't surrender or even allow the American League to bite into. Finishing the game 2-for-3 while driving in and scoring 2 runs, Cabrera was named All-Star MVP as voted on by the fans, edging out fellow San Francisco teammate Pablo Sandoval (1-for-2, 1 Run, 2 RBI) and Milwaukee's Ryan Braun (2-for-3, 1 Run, 1 RBI). With his mother and grandmother in attendance to catch his very first All-Star appearance, the two got to share the field with Melky as he was awarded his MVP hardware along with the keys to a new car. 2012 marks the sixth time a member of the Giants was named All-Star MVP, including Bobby Bonds who took home MVP honors for his performance in the 1973 Midsummer Classic which was also played in Kansas City, tying the Baltimore Orioles for the most All-Star MVP Awards.

Joining Melky in this year's All-Star Game was Giants pitcher Matt Cain who started the game and threw 2-shutout innings before being awarded the win, catcher Buster Posey and the aforementioned Pablo Sandoval, tying the defending World Champion St. Louis Cardinals for the most players named to NL All-Star team with four. Having amassed a robust .353 batting average which trails only Pittsburgh's Andrew McCutchen for tops in the league, Cabrera's currently on pace to tie if not set a career-high in Home Runs, RBI's, Runs and Stolen Bases set last year with KC. And in case everything he's done during the first half of the season was somehow missed, showcasing his talent at the All-Star Game in front of a national audience should be enough to open the eyes of Giants GM Brian Sabean and convince him to sign the outfielder to a multi-year deal before he hits the free-agent market when his contract expires this coming winter. Melky and co. will begin the second half of the season on Friday night at home against the Houston Astros, trailing the arch-rival Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Western Division by only 1/2 a game. 

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Milwaukee Brewing Trouble In NL Central

With the Adrian Gonzalez deal leading the pack as the biggest transaction this offseason via the trade, the Milwaukee Brewers made a trade just as big, but in the pitching department. Hoping to solidify a lethal starting rotation to keep up with the rest of the good pitching staffs in the NL Central, most notably Cincinnati's when Johnny Cueto and Edinson Volquez are healthy and St. Louis' which features rookie standout Jaime Garcia and an All-Star cast of Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright, the Brewers have made a handful of acquisitions resulting in an offseason that's been been nothing short of active. Headlining their busy campaign in hopes of contending for a division title in 2011, the Brewers made a splash by dealing for Kansas City Royals ace Zack Greinke.

Greinke, the recipient of the 2009 AL Cy Young Award, was on many teams' radar this offseason, and was even targeted by such teams as the Yankees and Angles after both failed to land Cliff Lee. Instead, KC played it smart sending their talented hurler to the Midwest. By doing so, not only did they manage to trade him to a small market team like their own, but they also traded him out of the American League, and still received the talented prospects they were hoping for in exchange. With hitting being their strong point for many years now, the Brewers have never really had a dominant pitching staff to compliment their talented hitters which include the likes of Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, and Cory Hart. However, Milwaukee plans to put an end to that in 2011.

The Brewers who've been seeking a legitimate ace since Ben Sheets, are hoping Greinke is the answer. Since the mid-season trade in which C.C. Sabathia was dealt from Cleveland to Milwaukee in '08 and single-handedly carried the Brew Crew to the Postseason behind a remarkable 11-2 record and an outstanding ERA of 1.65, the ball club's pitching woes have only increased. Sure the Brewers have had a decent arm in Yovani Gallardo who made a trip to the All-Star Game in 2010, but they've been yet to find that piece of the pitching puzzle to help get them over the hump. Joining Greinke to help address this issue, will be Shaun Marcum who was acquired two weeks before Greinke. At age 29, Marcum (13-8) shined bright in a powerhouse AL East division as Toronto's front man last year when former Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay was packaged to Philly.

The trio of Greinke, Marcum, and Gallardo all seen Opening Day starts last season for their respective teams, giving Milwaukee some stability to go along with Randy Wolf and Chris Narveson who quietly won 25 games last season between the two. The makeover to their starting rotation might not put them in Phillies or Giants territory just yet, but it should be enough to put them in a situation for a similar pennant race that saw the Reds dethrone the Cardinals as division champs this past season.