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Royals remain upbeat heading into Game 2 against a familiar opponent on the mound
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday night gave the Kansas City Royals something that hadn't happened since Sept. 27. A loss.
But members of the team weren't willing to dwell very long on the 7-1 defeat that broke the Royals' eight-game postseason winning streak. Players quickly turned their attention to Wednesday's Game 2 against San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Jake Peavy, a man the Royals know very well.
"We've got no choice but to bounce back," Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer said. "It's pretty hard to sweep through the whole playoffs. ... I don't think it's ever been close to being done. We've gotta bounce back. Same way you take a good win and enjoy it and forget about it, you do the same thing with a tough loss. You forget about it, get ready to go back tomorrow and even it up and head back to San Francisco."
[Related: Giants end Royals' streak with 7-1 victory in World Series opener]
In the wild-card era, no team has gone undefeated in the playoffs. Only the 2005 Chicago White Sox and 1999 New York Yankees have made it through with one loss.
From 2010-13, as a member of the White Sox and Boston Red Sox, Peavy has faced the Royals 11 times. (He didn't face the Royals in 2014 before being traded to the San Francisco Giants and didn't pitch when the Giants played Kansas City in August.)
In those 11 starts, Peavy, who has a 3.45 career ERA against Kansas City, has faced many of the players in the Royals lineup. Five Royals starters have more than 20 plate appearances against the 33-year-old right-hander.
[Photos: Best of World Series Game 1 - Giants at Royals]
"We've faced Peavy a lot when he was playing with other clubs and we're comfortable with what he's got, but again, he's a great pitcher, you can't take those guys lightly," third baseman Mike Moustakas said. "He's capable of going out and having a big game."
Last year, while pitching for the Red Sox in the World Series, Peavy made his first World Series start in Game 3 at St. Louis. He made it four innings, giving up six hits and two runs while walking one and striking out four in a 5-4 St. Louis win. He said his trip to last year's postseason and Boston's six-game win over St. Louis made the desire to win a(nother) World Series stronger.
"When you win one, as I was so fortunate to be able to last year, you would think that would quench you," Peavy said. "It actually made it worse. We talked about that a lot in Boston this year. You really can't settle for anything less, and nothing else is acceptable. You want something so bad, you achieve it, and you can't put into words how bad you want more."
The pitcher for the Royals will be Yordano Ventura, the team's flame-throwing rookie who sparkled in the American League Division Series but struggled in the American League Championship Series. Against the Los Angeles Angels, he gave up a run on five hits and a walk while striking out five in seven innings.
Against the Baltimore Orioles, Ventura struggled with his control and pulled himself out of the game in the sixth inning because of shoulder tightness. He gave up four runs on five hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings against the Orioles.
When asked if there were any concerns about Ventura's shoulder heading into Wednesday night, Royals manager Ned Yost was emphatic.
"No, no, no, no," Yost said. "His side sessions have been absolutely dynamite. He's a kid with tremendous composure. He's a tremendous competitor, even for as young as he is. I can't recall too many pitchers in my career that have his type of composure, his type of confidence and his type of stuff at that young an age."
[Related: Fan brings 47-inch moose antlers to cheer on Royals' Mike Moustakas]
But the composure of Ventura and the rest of the team could be tested Wednesday night if the Giants score early again. In Game 1, San Francisco was up 3-0 before the Royals had a chance to come to the plate. Another start like that could lead to thoughts of a possible 2-0 deficit and the looming trip to San Francisco.
The Giants "came out like they hadn't had any off days," Royals pitcher Jason Frasor said. "They came out hot, they came out swinging. We have to win four out of six, coming off winning eight in a row. We can do it. We better do it. But we're a loose clubhouse. There's no nervousness. I still like us. I still like the Royals and we're going to be all right."
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
