Game 3 really changed in two key at-bats in the 6th inning. You’re going to read and hear about how amazing the Royals bullpen is (and it is), how awesome their defense was (and it was), and how the series is all about who gets the lead first (it kind of is), but sometimes it’s also about what a team’s best hitter does in a key spot.

• Eric Hosmer came up in the 6th inning with a runner on second and two outs facing Javier Lopez. He had an amazing at-bat. At first it was amazing because Lopez kept missing his spots and Hosmer kept just missing crushing those pitches. Then Lopez started to get a little nasty and Hosmer stayed on it and got a big single up the middle to drive in the Royals third run of the game.
• Buster Posey came up in the 6th inning with runners on second and third and one out. This was actually a situation where a Buster single would have been perfect (no need for that first extra base hit here, although it would have been awesome). He did well to get a ground ball up the middle to score a run, but the Giants needed their best hitter to do something great, the way the Royals best hitter had just done something great, and he was merely good. I hate to pile on Posey who is so awesome and who has done so many great things for the Giants over the years, but he needs to be great again, and soon.

There were all kinds of other moments that helped turn this game. (One of them, by the way, was the ball Posey just missed against Greg Holland in the 9th…he JUST missed it…argggghhhhh…baseball). But, if the Giants are going to come back in this series they need their great player(s) to be great, not just good.

The Giants have to win 3 of the next 4 games. Simple as that. Assuming the Giants’ win Madison Bumgarner’s game 5 start (and of course assuming anything in baseball is foolish), they must figure out a way to get 2 wins from the combination of Vogelsong, Peavy, and Hudson. I can’t say that I am super confident of that. But stranger things have happened.

Go Giants!

-SB