The Kansas City Royals can't seem to keep a game to nine innings.
That's apparently a good thing though, as they won their third straight postseason extra innings affair with a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday, giving themselves a 2-0 ALDS series lead.
Tied 1-1 in the 11th, Eric Hosmer hit a two-run homer off Angels reliever Kevin Jepsen and the Royals notoriously staunch bullpen did the rest.
"We're tough to put away," Hosmer said. "I know we're going to be battling until the last out, but it's fun. It's fun to be the underdog. It's fun to realize you can go out there and play, you don't have anything to lose and just let it all on the line."
The Angels meanwhile, are struggling to come up with answers for the Royals small ball approach.
"Nobody has their head buried in the sand," Los Angeles Manager Mike Scioscia said. "We need a three-game winning streak. That's really what we need to do. But our guys are determined."
They better be. They've dug themselves quite the hole. But if any team can find their way out of a 0-2 series deficit, it's the big-hitting Angels.
On Sunday, the Royals confidence will be sky-high as they head home and into Game 3 up in the series and putting their big game pitcher, ace James Shields, on the mound.
"We're going home and we've got James Shields on the mound for us on Sunday," Royals Manager Ned Yost said. "We're going to take every day like we've taken it so far. Our mindset is to go and win today. So we're going to take a day off [Saturday], rest up and be ready to go on Sunday."
The Angels meanwhile will be going with C.J. Wilson. LA was reportedly concerned about their starting pitching heading into this matchup, but so far it's performed admirably. It's been the offense that's been lacking.
If their World Series hopes are to continue, they'll need Wilson to pitch well and their bats to wake up.
Working in their favor? They've put together 13 winning streaks of three games or more already this season.
The Baltimore-Detroit series has taken an eerily similar path, only instead of extra inning heroics, it's been the eighth frame that has been the Orioles' golden ticket to victory.
The notoriously offense heavy Tigers haven't been able to get their whole lineup in gear but they still managed decent production each of their first two games.
Baltimore meanwhile has been sound defensively and has gone up 2-0 in the series behind timely hitting that has decimated the Detroit bullpen.
David Price will be taking the mound for the Tigers as they attempt to keep their ALDS series from ending without a single victory.
Baltimore went with the semi-oddball pick of Bud Norris to take the mound for Game 3, even though most expected them to tap Miguel Gonzalez.
History isn't on the side of either Detroit or Los Angeles, as MLB.com reports that only five teams in 44 tries have come back from a 0-2 deficit in a Division Series.
