Kansas City @ San Francisco preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 25, 2014 ) Kansas City 4, San Francisco 11

The San Francisco Giants have evened the World Series and will send ace Madison Bumgarner to the mound when they host the Kansas City Royals in Sunday’s Game 5. Bumgarner has allowed just one run over 22 innings of three career World Series starts and perplexed Kansas City hitters while winning Game 1. The Royals will start James Shields, who was shelled in Game 1 as part of a miserable string of postseason performances.

The Giants produced an 11-4 victory in Game 3 as Hunter Pence had three hits and three RBIs while Pablo Sandoval and Joe Panik each drove in two runs. The defeat was only the second this postseason for Kansas City and the players are highly aware that this has become a best-of-three series with only one more game left to be played in San Francisco. “If we win (Sunday), we have the ability to go home and basically win one of two and we’re world champions,” first baseman Eric Hosmer told reporters after Saturday’s game.

TV: 8:07 p.m. ET, FOX

PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals RH James Shields (1-1, 7.11 ERA) vs. Giants LH Madison Bumgarner (3-1, 1.40)

Shields has had a rough postseason and was shelled for five runs and seven hits in three-plus innings in Game 1. Royals manager Ned Yost refused to get down on Shields and said he continues to think his next outing will be a breakthrough start. “I know his intensity, I know his work ethic, I know his competitiveness,” Yost said at his Saturday press conference. “I know that as much as a lot of you guys think that these guys are lights out perfect every time they go out there, they’re not. They’re human beings.”

Bumgarner held the Royals to one run and three hits in seven innings in Game 1 and has 33 strikeouts against six walks in the postseason. He was considered to pitch on short rest in Game 4 before being held back for Game 5 and said he feels fresh despite the heavy workload. “I feel as good as I’ve felt all year right now, which is fortunate for me,” Bumgarner said in his Saturday press conference. “It usually don’t work out that way but for whatever reason, everything started clicking in the last two months and I’ve been feeling really good.”

WALK-OFFS

1. Giants manager Bruce Bochy became the fifth manager to win 40 postseason games with the Game 4 win.

2. Kansas City LF Alex Gordon is 2-for-16 in the World Series and is batting .186 in the postseason.

3. San Francisco C Buster Posey hasn’t homered this postseason but his RBI on Saturday was the 21st of his playoff career, matching Barry Bonds’ franchise record.

PREDICTION: Giants 3, Royals 0