BALTIMORE — Kanas City manager Ned Yost doesn’t claim to know much about karma or destiny.
But the old-school Yost does recognize a good baseball team when he is around one. This year’s group of Royals certainly fit that mold.
Alcides Escobar hit a go-ahead double in the ninth inning and Kansas City took a commanding two-game lead in the American League Championship Series with a 6-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday.
The Royals can now wrap up the series at home and land a trip to their first World Series since 1985. The Orioles have not led in the ALCS, a span of 19 innings.
“I think we came into this series the underdog, and our guys, I don’t think they really pay too much attention to that,” Yost said. “I don’t think they mind being the underdog because they have a lot of confidence in their abilities. They’re playing their best baseball of the year right now and it sure is the best time to play it.”
Center fielder Lorenzo Cain had four hits, including an RBI single that provided an insurance run in the ninth inning, for the Royals.
Kansas City first baseman Eric Hosmer had two hits and is 10-for-23 in the postseason. Third baseman Mike Moustakas homered for the second straight game and now has four homers in the postseason, tying a club record he shares with Willie Aikens.
“To come in here and win two games against a great team like that in an unbelievable atmosphere, it’s huge for us,” Moustakas said. “A lot of confidence going back home.”
Royals rookie right-hander Yordano Ventura left the game with two outs and the score tied at 4 in the sixth inning with right shoulder tightness. He allowed four runs and five hits with three strikeouts and three walks in his third postseason appearance. Ventura is listed as day to day.
Orioles center fielder Adam Jones belted his first career postseason home run, a two-run shot in the third inning. Baltimore catcher Caleb Joseph entered the game on an 0-for-33 skid, but finished with two hits and an RBI.
“We definitely had opportunities, we just let them slip away,” Jones said. “We are not playing against some slouches. We are playing against a good defensive team.”
Orioles pitchers had not recorded a 1-2-3 inning the entire series until left-hander Andrew Miller and right-hander Darren O’Day combined to retire the side in the eighth inning.
Kansas City second baseman Omar Infante to lead off the ninth with an infield single against O’Day (0-2). Infante moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Moustakas off left-hander Zach Britton before Escobar doubled to right to bring in the winning run. Cain then followed with the single to round out the scoring.
Right-hander Wade Davis (2-0) pitched a scoreless eighth to pick up his second straight win in the series. Right-hander Greg Holland picked up the save with a scoreless ninth.
Baltimore right-hander Bud Norris struggled for most of the day. He allowed four runs and nine hits with three strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.
The Royals opened a 2-0 lead in the first inning when right fielder Nori Aoki singled, Cain doubled and both scored on a flare by Hosmer.
“Well, Kansas City has faced challenges, it’s what teams do at this level,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “But you’ve got to win four games. You’ve got to keep from losing more than three. And that’s obviously oversimplifying it. But you look at teams that compete during the course of the season, they compete on the road, too.”
Ventura then walked three of the first four batters he faced in the second. However, he kept the damage to a minimum by only allowing just a sacrifice fly by Joseph.
“We were in the game the entire time,” Joseph said. “Bud did a great job keeping us in the game. They are just getting clutch hits right now.”
Kansas City responded in the third inning on a two-out, RBI double by left fielder Billy Butler that provided a 3-1 lead. However, Jones delivered for Baltimore that same inning with two-run homer off Ventura that tied the score.
Butler is excited about getting a chance to wrap up the series in front of the home fans.
“It’s going to be tremendous,” Butler said. “The atmosphere in the wild-card game and the ALDS was tremendous. I can’t imagine it would be better, but I think it will be.
“Camden Yards … we played in these atmospheres before. They brought the noise and all that kind of stuff, but we fought back.”
After the Royals regained the lead on a solo homer by Moustakas in the fourth inning, designated hitter Nelson Cruz tied it again for the Orioles an inning later on a fielder’s choice.
“It’s tough when you lose,” Cruz said. “You have to get ready for the next game. We do an amazing job battling back when they get ahead. In the first two games, we’ve been able to tie it up, but we have not been able to get ahead. That’s what we need.”
NOTES: Kansas City relievers Wade Davis and fellow right-hander Kelvin Herrera were available to pitch in Game 2 of the series, despite each of them throwing two innings the night before, according to manager Ned Yost. … Orioles LHP Wei-Yin Chen probably will get the start in Game 3 when the ALCS heads to Kansas City. … Yost named Jeremy Guthrie, a former Oriole, as the starter for Game 3. It will be Guthrie’s 2014 postseason debut.